The operators of the ruptured Southern California pipeline that dumped tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean didn’t shut it down for more than three hours —even after being alerted to a possible leak, federal regulators said.
Beta Offshore, which operates the pipeline, was notified around 2:30 a.m. Saturday of a “low-pressure alarm” that indicated “a possible failure,” the US Department of Transportation said.
But it wasn’t until 6 a.m. — more than three hours later — that the pipeline was shut down, regulators said.
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