LOS ANGELES, CA. — Environmental justice advocates, climate organizations, and community leaders are sounding the alarm following the rupture of a crude oil pipeline in East Los Angeles, operated by Plains All American — the same company responsible for the 2015 pipeline spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, one of the worst oil spills in California history.
Clean-up efforts are ongoing, and wildlife rescue teams have already reported oil-covered birds and ecological damage extending downstream toward Long Beach.
According to local reports, the ruptured 16-inch pipeline was struck during construction work in East Los Angeles, releasing thousands of gallons of crude oil into storm drains and the Los Angeles River, once again exposing the dangerous consequences of fossil fuel infrastructure in frontline communities.
“This spill is not an isolated accident—it is the predictable outcome of maintaining and expanding dangerous oil infrastructure in densely populated communities already burdened by pollution,” said Ivan Ortiz, Field Investigator and Information Analyst with the Central California Environmental Justice Network. “As residents of Kern County, we empathize with communities in East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Wilmington, and along the LA River, who, like us, have spent generations living beside toxic industries that threaten public health, contaminate ecosystems, and accelerate the climate crisis.”
The organizations emphasized that the spill highlights the continued risks posed by California’s fossil fuel industry, including aging pipelines, urban drilling operations, and oil transport systems running through residential neighborhoods, schools, parks, and waterways.
Environmental justice advocates also pointed to the broader pattern of fossil fuel pollution disproportionately impacting Black, Latinx, Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income communities across Southern California.
“For decades, frontline neighborhoods have been treated as expendable,” said Maro Kakoussian, Director of Climate & Health Programs at Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles. “We cannot continue sacrificing public health and environmental safety to protect oil industry profits. California cannot claim climate leadership while communities are still suffering from pipeline ruptures, toxic emissions, and oil contamination.”
The Los Angeles River — long treated as an industrial sacrifice zone — is home to critical wildlife habitats and communities that rely on the river corridor for recreation, public space, and environmental restoration efforts. The contamination of the river with crude oil threatens birds, aquatic life, and vulnerable residents living near the waterway.
“Every oil spill is a reminder that there is no such thing as ‘safe’ fossil fuel infrastructure,” said Ilonka Zlatar, California Climate Organizer with the Oil and Gas Action Network. “Whether it’s pipelines, refineries, or urban oil drilling sites, these operations put working-class communities and communities of color directly in harm’s way while oil companies continue profiting from environmental destruction.”
The groups are calling for a full independent investigation into the pipeline rupture and environmental impact, and immediate transparency regarding contamination levels and cleanup efforts, long-term monitoring of ecological and public health impacts along the LA River corridor, and an accelerated phaseout of urban oil drilling and fossil fuel infrastructure across the state.
“This weekend’s spill is a frightening reminder of the impacts fossil fuels and oil drilling are having on our city and how quickly these disasters can spread,” said Andrea Vega, Los Angeles Organizing Manager at Food & Water Watch . “In the 30 minutes it took for a valve to be closed, pollution from this spill in East Los Angeles spread into the LA River all the way down to Long Beach. From spills to leaks to blowouts, fossil fuels are putting our clean air and water at risk, and we are stuck paying the price with our health and safety while the corporations get richer and pollute more. We deserve fresh, clean water and a livable future, and we need bold leaders who will get us to that future, not ones who will continue to capitulate to this polluting industry.”
The organizations pledged to continue pushing for a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future that prioritizes community health, environmental restoration, and climate justice.
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For more information, please contact Jess Wilson at jess@lastchancealliance.org
LCA LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We acknowledge that Los Angeles County is the traditional home of the Tongva, Chumash, and Tataviam people. Part of our commitment to decolonizing ourselves, our language, and our organizations is a commitment to learning and better understanding the history of Indigenous Peoples of so-called California, including the history of contact, colonization and the extraction of resources from Indigenous lands which has been part of the continuation of modern colonization.
