Company suspected in oil spill had dozens of violations

By AMY TAXIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The company that operates the pipeline suspected in a large California oil spill has been cited 72 times for safety and environmental violations that were severe enough that drilling had to be curtailed or cut off to fix the problem. That’s according to regulatory records. In all, Beta Operating Co. has been cited 125 times since 1980. The company was also fined a total of $85,000 for three incidents. The company is under scrutiny after a suspected leak in an underwater pipeline fouled the sands of famed Huntington Beach and other coastal communities. The spill could keep beaches closed for weeks or months.