Pipeline firm unable to reach staff at California spill site

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As thousands of gallons of crude oil from a ruptured pipeline spread along the California coast, its operator was unable to contact workers near the break to get information the company needed to alert federal emergency officials, records released Wednesday said.

Personnel for Plains All American Pipeline needed the precise location of the May 19 spill and an estimate of its size before notifying the National Response Center, according to the records released to federal elected officials.

The Texas-based pipeline company has faced criticism for how long it took to relay information to the federal government on the break estimated at up to 101,000 gallons, even though its internal planning documents repeatedly stress the importance of notifying the government of a leak as quickly as possible.

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is investigating the cause of the break along a corroded section of pipe, which is part of a network that moves crude oil to inland refineries.

The records were released after federal lawmakers asked the company and federal regulators to answer questions about how the spill occurred and its aftermath.

In a letter to the lawmakers earlier this month, the pipeline agency said it planned to issue an enforcement action against the company for probable violations based on a review of operation and maintenance of the line that was completed in 2014.