As a crew prepared to excavate the pipe that had spilled hundreds of barrels of oil into the Pacific, Santa Barbara's District Attorney Joyce Dudley was on the spot Monday, of a mind to consider it a "potential crime scene." Her office has prosecuted multiple environment-related cases in the past, she said, and could possibly take on the Refugio spill, though she could not comment on the particulars. She'll be meeting with federal prosecutors this week to discuss the possibilities.
The area is being secured by Sheriff's deputies for both the health and safety of the public, she explained, and also to avoid impacting any evidence.
The north side of Refugio is just one area under quarantine from the public. The beaches at Refugio and El Capitan are closed through June 4, and Coal Oil Point remains off limits. The fishing areas from Canada de Alegria to Coal Oil Point remain closed, states the Refugio oil spill's Unified Command. A safety zone around the fisheries has also been created from west of Gaviota State Beach to west of Coal Oil Point. Aircraft, including drones, have similarly been restricted from a five-mile radius around the Refugio State Beach area to 1,000 feet ASL.
