This week marks 50th Anniversary of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill of 1969

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill of 1969, which marked a turning point in our nation and led to a wave of new laws and regulations enacted to protect the environment, coast to coast.

Now, local environmentalists are on a mission to encourage people to do more to protect not just the ocean but our planet.

January 28, 1969 marked the disastrous blowout from Union Oil’s Platform A six miles offshore.

For 10 days oil oozed down the coastline from Goleta to Ventura. The environmental disaster motivated one woman — decades later — to make a difference.

“It mobilized me to work harder, to fight harder,” said Kira Redmond, Executive Director of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.

Redmond said this week’s anniversary has renewed her call to action and posted a blog urging people to step up and do their part.

“Here we are 50 years later and it really feels like we’re at another critical turning point,” she said.

Remond points to new and ongoing threats from drought and climate change to policy change. She and her movement are fighting new efforts to reopen federal lands and ocean waters to new and expanded oil drilling.

“It’s really critical that we take advantage of this moment in history to act. We’re running out of time.”

International visitors to the Santa Barbara area agree.

“It’s a pity that we, in the Paris Agreement, are without the U.S.” said Darin Stefanov. “We talk a lot about it in Norway and the government in Norway is very concerned.”

Stefanov and his family are visiting from Norway. He said he and his fellow Norweigians look to the U.S. as the world leader in environmental causes. Without America’s involvement in the Paris Agreement, Stefanov believes our planet will suffer and the impacts will be noticable 20 to 50 years from now.

Jim Brisendine said he’s recycles and hopes more people do both “little” and “big” things at home to help the environment.

“Ya know, I just worry about what kind of world we’re going to leave Keith Richards, you know?” Brisendine said with a sly smile.

At the time, the ’69 oil spill was the largest in U.S. history; it now ranks third behind the Deepwater Horizon (BP) and Exxon Valdez spills.

For more information about Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and ways to help the environment, click here.