California Oil Spill Environmental Restoration

On October 2nd, 2021, disaster struck off Orange County, CA when an offshore drilling pipeline ruptured, releasing an estimated 24,696 gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean. The 13 square mile oil slick wreaked havoc on both the environment and communities, harming marine life, damaging sensitive habitats, triggering beach closures, and washing as far south as Mexico. Surfrider's priority is to ensure the full impact of the spill is assessed, including ecological and socioeconomic impacts, and that restoration opportunities are maximized. This is no small task. The oil spill caused extensive environmental damage with cleanup workers removing 549,658 lbs of tarballs, oiled sand and debris from the shoreline alone. The spill also caused grave impacts to communities and businesses through disruption of coastal recreation and tourism, and a fishery closure of 642 square miles that was in effect for two months.

To ensure these impacts are fully accounted for, we are engaging directly with NOAA and other trustee agencies as they assess damages and develop a restoration plan for the responsible party to fund or implement. On January 25, 2023, government agencies officially launched the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) process for the Amplify Energy Oil Spill off Southern California. The public meeting reported on progress the agencies have made in Phase I (assessment of damages) and how the public can provide input moving forward. The meeting also detailed next steps for the NRDA process, including the expected release of a draft environmental restoration plan in early 2024, along with the launch of an official public comment period.

Based on NRDA agency preliminary findings, the oil spill caused a wide range of environmental and community impacts. During the public meeting, agency scientists described harm done to the following resource categories: birds, marine mammals, fish, subtidal and water column, sandy beaches, rocky intertidal, marshes, and human uses. The agency representatives also summarized the next steps for developing an environmental restoration plan and encouraged interested members of the public to submit restoration project ideas. To access the slide presentations from the public meeting click here.

Since the oil spill was first reported, Surfrider Foundation actively engaged with government agencies and elected officials to support the cleanup response and ensure that Amplify Energy is held accountable for the harm that was caused. In 2022, Surfrider submitted a comment letter of recommendations to the NRDA trustee agencies to inform the development of the draft environmental restoration plan. We have also submitted specific coastal restoration project ideas to the NRDA trustee agencies for consideration in the draft restoration plan.

During the first half of 2023, NRDA trustee agencies invited members of the public to submit ideas for environmental restoration projects to benefit to harmed resources (e.g. birds, sand beaches, recreation, etc.). Surfrider provided recommendations to the agencies for  restoration projects and encouraged community groups and NGO partners to do the same. We are also partnering with the Environmental Defense Center to utilize their expertise in this area. For more background visit the NOAA NRDA website.

Surfrider anticipates that the draft environmental restoration will be released in early 2024. Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to participate in the upcoming public comment period.

Learn More

Amplify Energy Oil Spill Response website

NOAA NRDA Page: Amplify Energy Oil Spill