Alarm raised over ‘expedited plans’ considered for damaged oil pipeline

By Heather McRea

This week in Coast Lines: The path to a permit for the repair and operation of the oil pipeline that leaked off the Orange County coast could be expedited and take a couple months vs. a couple years.

Plus, the Navy is looking for a balance between training needs and protecting marine mammals, and six brown pelicans are feeling good again after they and hundreds more were taken in emaciated by an LA wildlife rescue.

Here’s what’s happening along the Southern California coast.

Permitting process

Four congressional reps from Southern California say they are “alarmed” that an expedited process is being considered for permitting the repair and use of the pipeline that cracked and leaked 25,000 gallons of oil off the Orange County coast.

Operators of the pipeline said they need to get the damaged section off the ocean floor to complete the investigation into how the leak happened and then replace it.

"This expedited approval process is unwarranted and dangerous," the Congress members’ letter to four federal agencies says. "Given the threat this aging infrastructure poses to our ecologically sensitive marine resources, coastal economy, and communities, this project requires site-specific analysis before the federal government grants its approval."

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Naval training

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is tasked with addressing the effects of human activities on protected marine species, and that includes the impact of Navy ships that need to train off the Southern California coast. 

After four whales were struck last year, Navy officials are now asking for some wiggle room in the current permit that regulates their training from here to Hawaii.

They’ve made some changes in response to those deaths, including now manning more lookout posts giving wider fields of view around the ships day and night to watch for marine mammals.

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Returned to the wild

Brown pelicans brought in "starving, anemic and dehydrated" to the Los Angeles Wildlife Center – International Bird Rescue, are starting to be released back into the wild after recuperating. 

The wildlife rescue in San Pedro has brought in more than 240 sick birds in the last month – they aren’t really sure what’s behind the influx.

But at least six now healthy birds are back out there doing their thing.

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What else?

A Great Day in the Stoke, a gathering that drew Black surfers together at the Huntington Beach Pier, hosted to celebrate pioneers, share the sand and encourage more to enjoy the water.  
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The Port of Long Beach is planning to do some significant spending to improve terminal and rail capacity, upgrade infrastructure and reduce environmental impacts.
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Former Marineland workers are having a reunion and they hope to raise money to get Bubbles back in shape.

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In the ocean

The Long Beach Kahakai Outrigger Canoe Club is planning a huge day of races at Marine Stadium later this month. Paddles in hand, they power themselves through the ocean waves, often for miles at a time.
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