FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ENR FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1997 (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 ARCO PIPE LINE COMPANY TO SPEND MORE THAN $9 MILLION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY TWO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA OIL SPILLS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- ARCO Pipe Line Company today agreed to spend more than $9 million in damages and to restore natural resources damaged from oil pipe line ruptures that spewed hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into Southern California waterways, the United States and the state of California announced. Most of the ruptures occurred as a result of a January 17, 1994 earthquake. The settlement was filed today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, by the U.S. Department of Justice -- on behalf of the Interior Department -- and the state of California. Under the agreement, ARCO will spend $7.35 million to restore natural resources damaged in the spill, pay $525,000 in state and federal civil penalties, pay $277,000 to cover state and federal spill response costs, and spend $1 million to fund additional environmental projects. Since ARCO performed much of the cleanup work shortly after the spills occurred, the remaining work primarily includes natural resource restoration -- ensuring the return of plants, animals and fish affected by the spills. "I appreciate ARCO's cooperation in the initial cleanup efforts and for taking responsibility for the additional cost of restoring the natural resources damaged," said Lois Schiffer, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This settlement reflects our policy that those responsible for damaging the environment pay to clean it up -- not the American taxpayers." "Environmental contamination is one of the most insidious threats to wildlife in this country," said Acting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director John Rogers. "In many cases, such as the Santa Clara spill, we simply wouldn't have the means to restore resources harmed by pollution without the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program." "I am very pleased with these settlements which will allow for full recovery of the injuries in each spill and restoration of wildlife habitat in the Santa Clara River system," said Pete Bontadelli, Administrator of California's Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response. "Our office is committed to ensuring the environment is made whole. These settlements are a success because all the parties focused on a common goal, namely restoration of the environment." On January 17, 1994, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Southern California, rupturing -- in at least eight different places -- an ARCO oil pipeline running through Los Angeles County. The largest rupture spilled approximately 190,000 gallons of oil near Santa Clarita, with a portion of the oil flowing into a storm drain and ending up in the Santa Clara River, where it flowed about 16 miles downstream before a dam was erected that halted the flow. The oil damaged fish, wildlife and river bank vegetation. In addition, the oil spill killed several federally-endangered fish living in the river and damaged habitat critical to the survival of the species. In total, the spill affected approximately 100 acres of vegetation and 150 acres of river bed sediments. A second spill occurred in another part of the pipeline in April 1993, releasing 260,000 gallons of crude oil into Kern County's Grapevine Creek, located just outside Los Angeles. Under the Oil Pollution Act, ARCO Pipe Line, as the owner of a facility that discharged oil into a navigable water of the United States, is responsible for all cleanup costs and natural resource damage restoration costs. The U.S. Department of Interior carries out numerous Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration activities because of its responsibilities for managing more than 400 million acres of public lands and the resources they support. The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for conserving migratory birds, endangered species, inland fisheries, and certain marine mammals, many of which are often severely affected by chemical and oil spills. ARCO Pipe Line Company is a subsidiary of the Los Angeles- based Atlantic Richfield Company. ### 97-026