Criminal Case Filed Against Mobil Over Oil Pipeline Ruptures

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office filed misdemeanor criminal charges Friday against Mobil Oil Corp. for failing to adequately monitor and maintain its pipelines, leading to two ruptures a year ago that spilled more than 130,000 gallons of crude oil into sewers and the Los Angeles River.

A Department of Fish and Game investigation found changes in the temperature of oil being transported through the pipeline caused the pipe to chafe through its plastic covering and corrode, the city attorney’s office reported.

“We believe the evidence shows that the rupture and spill could have been avoided if Mobil had detected the corrosion problem through proper monitoring and maintenance of the pipeline,” said City Atty. James K. Hahn.

The pipes--which carry 2.6 million gallons a day from Kern County oil fields to Mobil’s Torrance refinery--released sticky oil onto city streets in Encino on Sept. 10, 1988, and in Sherman Oaks on Sept. 27. Some of the oil flowed into the storm sewer system, polluting the Los Angeles River from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach and killing hundreds of fish and at least 33 waterfowl, state investigators estimated.

Though the city attorney’s charges involved a 130,000-gallon spill, other estimates have ranged as high as 200,000 gallons.

Named in the charges are Mobil Oil Corp., Mobil Oil Refining Corp. and Tim Salles, manager of West Coast Pipeline Inc., the Mobil subsidiary which operates the pipeline. After the first rupture, Salles conducted pipe pressure tests, which investigators believe may have contributed to the second rupture.

Mobil spokesman James Carbonetti said the company had not seen the charges Friday, “so obviously we cannot comment.”

The 12 charges are: five violations of the California Fish and Game code, three violations of Los Angeles municipal code and four violations of the state penal code, all regarding polluting of waterways and sewers.

Deputy City Atty. Vincent Sato, who prepared the case, said maximum fines on each count range from $100 to $2,000 and up to a year in jail. Arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 26. The city attorney’s office had not decided Friday which Mobil officials will be called to answer the charges.

The 190-mile-long pipeline was installed more than 50 years ago, but many segments have been replaced since then.

Mobil has applied for city permits to replace 75 miles of pipe, at a cost of up to $75 million, partly because of the 1988 breaks, Carbonetti said. The new pipes would be uniform in diameter, allowing a magnetic device to travel through them monitoring pipe thickness and corrosion.

Protests From Residents

During its first public hearing on the proposal Wednesday night, the company encountered protests from Van Nuys residents who fear the construction will add traffic congestion and noise to their neighborhoods. The Los Angeles Board of Transportation is scheduled to vote on the project Sept. 28 at City Hall.

At the end of August, the state water quality board recommended Mobil pay an $85,000 fine for the two breaks. Officials lauded Mobil for spending an estimated $3 million on cleanup, but said the volume of the leak could have been stemmed if the company had installed more shut-off valves along the line.

Also contributing to this story was Times staff writer Janet Rae-Dupree.