How the 2015 Santa Barbara Oil Spill Changed California
Besides the criminal trial that wrapped up on Friday, the state responded with increased regulation and opposition to new drilling.
Oil Spill
We're Getting Better at Saving Seabirds After Oil Spills
A new study of brown pelicans after the Refugio oil spill in California shows how far oil rehabilitation techniques have come in the last few decades.
The Edit, Episode #4: A Conversation About the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill That Sparked an Environmental Revolution
On the latest episode of Pacific Standard's podcast about how our stories are made, staff writer Kate Wheeling and digital director Max Ufberg sit down with KCRW's Jonathan Bastian.
New Oil Slicks Reported at Site of Oil Tanker Collision in East China Sea
The Sanchi oil tanker is estimated to have been carrying 8,450 barrels of bunker fuel at the time of its collision.
Nebraska Regulators Cannot Consider Pipeline Leaks While Approving Keystone XL
A 2011 Nebraska law prevents the state's Public Service Commission from factoring pipeline safety and leaks into its decision.
How Safe Are America's Pipelines?
The country's 70,000 miles of crude oil pipelines leak quite often.
Viewfinder: A Crude Oil Spill Covers the Greek Bay
A boat floats on polluted water on the coast of Salamis Island on September 13th, 2017, in Salamis, Greece.
Can We Handle an Arctic Oil Spill?
Drilling in the Arctic has just begun, but when it comes to the science of safety, it turns out there are still a lot of unknowns.
Five Years on, We’ve Learned Nothing From the Largest Onshore Oil Spill in U.S. History
Five years ago, a pipeline spilled a million gallons of tar sands crude into a Michigan river—and we’re still cleaning it up.
The Maddening Silver Lining to BP’s $18.7 Billion Oil Spill Penalty
Five years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, justice comes with an infuriating loophole.
An Eco-Friendly Chemical for Oil Spill Clean-Ups
Scientists create a plant-based chemical that could one day be used to help clean up oil spills in the Arctic.
Reporting From the Edge of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill
A collection of on-the-ground pictures and observations from Pacific Standard's staff.
The Government Is OK With a 75 Percent Chance of a Major Arctic Oil Spill. Are You?
The Department of the Interior says there’s a 75 percent chance of a major oil spill in the Arctic—and it’s willing to take that chance.
Year After BP Oil Spill: Where Are We?
Biogeochemist Molly Redmond discusses the state of the Gulf of Mexico a year after the deadly Deepwater Horizon oil spill, looking at what's still unknown and how some lucky breaks kept damage from being even worse.
The Death Throes of Pelicans and Presidents
When the going gets tough, the tough get going — even if their activity is counterproductive or just for show.
The Oil-Soaked Are Least Likely to Favor Regulation
Fear of unemployment leads places blighted by oil or coal to hold on all the tighter to those industries.
Standing in Line to Cap the Spill
Even for a proven energy innovator like James Dehlsen, the path to offer solutions to the Gulf oil spill is uphill and rocky.
Oil Spill Outlines the Limits of Government
If Americans don't want the dubious comforts of a full-fledged nanny state, then they can't come running for comprehensive succor when some milk, or oil, spills.
Mopping Up: From Hairballs to Penguin Transit
Oil spill cleanup remains a most primitive science, but it hasn’t been for a want of experimentation. Here are seven methods that have met with varying success.
Oil Spill Fouls Up Climate Bill
A tenuous compromise that promised to move a U.S. climate bill forward may be part of the Deepwater Horizon’s collateral damage.
What About Spilled Oil That Doesn't Reach Shore?
Scientists studying 'natural' oil spills fear for a sea floor about to be overwhelmed by detritus from the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil Cleanup Cure May Be Worse Than Disease
Despite the agony of watching oil-sodden waters lap at pristine shores, our ham-fisted cleanups can do more harm than good, experts say.