Pipeline Rupture Creates ‘Lagoon’ of Oil in Los Angeles

Sarah Berlin May 15, 2014

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Early this morning, an above-ground pipeline in Los Angeles burst, spilling an estimated 10,000 gallons of crude oil into an industrial area. A strip club in the vicinity had be to evacuated, and two individuals went to the hospital after complaining of respiratory problems. The Los Angeles Times reports: Crews were able to shut off the pipeline remotely, but by the time that was done, the spill had created pools of oil, some about 40 feet wide and knee-deep in some places.   "It looked like a lake," Moore said… Firefighters were able to largely contain the spill after contacting a nearby cement company and using loads of sand to cordon off the oil with berms, creating a dam-like structure. Tanker trucks were then able to use hoses to suck up the oil from the resulting "lagoon," Moore said.The pipeline, operated by Plains All American, transports oil from the Bakersfield region of California to a Long Beach storage facility. The spill comes just as Congress considers expanding the Keystone XL pipeline in the United States.

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Sarah Berlin is an intern at In These Times.