On February 9, multiple shipping companies agreed to pay Orange County residents whose businesses and property were damaged by the October 2021 Orange County oil spill.
The spill, first detected on October 1st 2021, was caused by a 13-inch split in the pipeline. Officials believe that the pipeline that sprung the leak had likely been dragged for over 100 feet by a container ship with its anchor down.
After cleanup ended at the end of 2021, multiple lawsuits took place and were settled throughout 2022. The Orange County Board of Supervisors reached a $1 million settlement with Amplify in July 2022, followed by the energy company paying another $12.9 million in fines and reimbursements. Amplify then paid the largest amount, $50 million.
Now, two companies agreed to a $45 million settlement, and are now finalizing another settlement to prevent what they did from happening in the future.
Along with the October settlement, a combined total of about $100 million will now be going to business owners and property owners harmed by the oil spill.
Other settlements are expected to be agreed to throughout 2023, with the $45 million settlement expected to be finalized soon.
