-Plains All American Pipeline previously told California regulators a spill from its pipeline that released up to 101,000 gallons of oil in Santa Barbara County last month was “extremely unlikely.” Via the Associated Press, Plains’ analysis — included in a spill response plan endorsed by the federal government last year — was initially conducted in 1994 or 1995 but had been modified as recently as last year. Authorities are now questioning whether Plains followed its own plan or if it was outdated or inadequate. The spill created a nine-mile oil slick in the Pacific Ocean and fouled parts of the Refugio State Beach near Santa Barbara.
-Meanwhile, Phillips 66 on Thursday returned its oil pipeline in Santa Barbara County to service after a small spill earlier in the week. Via the Wall Street Journal, Phillips 66 shut down the pipeline after oil was spotted on the ground near the underground pipeline. The company said it has cleaned up the 42-gallon spill and repaired the pipeline.
-Nine tendons designed to connect to Chevron’s Big Foot platform in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico have sunk since being damaged between May 29 and May 31. Via Reuters, it is not yet known if the tendons can be recovered. Chevron said the project would not start first production in late 2015, as originally planned.
-Irving Oil appointed Ian Whitcomb president and Sarah Irving executive vice president. Irving Oil also named Mark Sherman vice president and COO. Whitcomb previously served as a partner at consulting firm Deloitte, where he worked with Irving Oil for 30 years. He succeeds Paul Browning, who left the company last August. Irving, who is the daughter of company owner Arthur Irving, recently completed an MBA program. Sherman previously served as general manager of Refining and Supply at Irving Oil.
-Sasol President and CEO David Constable will step down when his contract expires next May, Reuters reports. Constable has led Sasol’s expansion efforts in southern Africa and North America since being appointed in 2011. Sasol recently broke ground on a $9 billion ethane cracker near Westlake, La.
