Oil Firm Faces Charges in Harbor Gasoline Spill

Charges were filed Monday against a San Pedro company in connection with a gasoline spill in Los Angeles Harbor last year.

The city attorney’s office charged Western Fuel Oil Co. with illegally discharging a petroleum product into state waters. The charge, arising from the state Fish and Game Code, carries a maximum penalty of a $2,000 fine. On April 23, a pipeline ruptured at Western’s facility and 9,240 gallons of unleaded gasoline flowed into the harbor. The cleanup took more than two weeks.