US grand jury charges oil company in California spill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles federal grand jury on Wednesday charged a Houston-based oil company and two subsidiaries for an oil spill off California coast in October.

Federal prosecutors said Amplify Energy Corp. and its two subsidiaries that operate oil rigs and a pipeline off Long Beach were charged with a misdemear for illegally discharging oil.

pipeline rupture was believed to have been caused when a cargo ship snagged it with an anchor earlier in year, weakening it months before spill that dumped about 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of crude oil in ocean.

indictment said companies were negligent by failing to respond to a series of alarms that should have alerted it to spill more than 13 hours before pipeline was ultimately shut down.

If convicted, charge carries up to five years of probation for corporation and fines that potentially could total millions of dollars.

spill came ashore at Huntington Beach and forced about a weeklong closure of that city’s beaches and ors along Orange County coast. Fishing in affected area resumed only recently, after testing confirmed fish did t have unsafe levels of oil toxins.