[8] The oil pipeline operators in Midland, Texas had turned off an alarm that would have notified them of the leak as they were dealing with a separate problem with a pump.

The 28-year-old pipeline was not equipped with an automatic shut-off valve and was eventually shut down by control operators when they were notified of the leak from parties who visually located the spill.

Crude oil and natural gas produced by offshore platforms is processed at onshore receiving plants before being transported to distant refineries.

The crude oil, known as Las Flores Canyon OCS (Outer Continental Shelf), then flowed into Line 903 as it was transported inland 128 miles (206 km) to gathering facilities in Kern County and on to refineries throughout Southern California.

[7] The Holly platform is about two miles (3 km) offshore from the Coal Oil Point where about 4,000 U.S. gal (95 bbl; 15 m3) a day comes from natural seeps.

[7] Line 903 was also used to move the production from platforms Hidalgo, Harvest and Hermosa of Point Arguello Unit owned by Freeport-McMoRan to the ConocoPhillips refinery in Santa Maria.

The parks and agricultural areas on this narrow coastal terrace are situated between a rugged coastline and the Santa Ynez Mountains of the Los Padres National Forest.

[22] Fire crews found the crude oil flowing from a drainage culvert that passed under U.S. 101, and into the Pacific Ocean and reported the leak to authorities.

[24] The Center, staffed by United States Coast Guard officers and marine science technicians, is the sole federal point of contact for reporting all hazardous substances releases and oil spills.

[29] The oil quickly spread along 7 miles (11 km) of the coastline from Arroyo Hondo Creek to the west to El Capitán State Beach on the east.

[3] The slick reached four marine protected areas that have ecological or cultural significance: Naples, Kashtayit, Campus Point and Goleta Slough.

[39] Three days after the spill more than 650 workers and 17 boats were cleaning the shoreline, gathering up an oily water mixture from the ocean, and hauling away more than 5,000 cubic yards (3,800 m3) of oil-contaminated soil, sand and vegetation from the coastal bluff.

[41] When tested, a tar ball recovered in the South Bay at Manhattan Beach matched the chemical signature of the spilled oil.

[47] Of the 69 animals freed after being cleaned and nursed back to health,[47] 10 were adult brown pelicans that were released at Goleta Beach after spending three weeks in San Pedro with a team of scientists from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network that is administered by the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

[46] In September 2015, SeaWorld San Diego released the last three sea lions affected by the oil spill at Border Field State Park.

Their nests are hard to see in the open sand and the birds are easily frightened away by human activity leaving the eggs to fast-moving predators such as sea gulls.

[40] Marine researchers note that mammals and birds get the most attention but smaller creatures at the base of the ocean food chain are also harmed by the oil.

[39] Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara began collecting samples within hours of the spill to monitor the impact on the marine environment.

Local commercial fishermen reported that it was tough to sell the fish caught outside of the closed area because of the impression that all of the region's seafood was tainted from the oil spill.

Half of the people didn’t know we had been closed, which is a good testament to how clean the park was.”[7] Almost a year after the spill, the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury handed down 46 criminal indictments against Plains.

An additional class-action suit was filed by stockholders claiming Plains provided “false and misleading statements” regarding pipeline maintenance and monitoring.

A U.S. District Court issued an order that stated that Plains was misleading "victims towards unwittingly waiving their rights to full recovery" through the class-action lawsuit where they could obtain further compensation.

[61] After a jury found that their negligent practices contributed to the spill, Plains agreed in March 2020 to pay $60 million for penalties and damages.

Exceptions have been closely scrutinized by local officials such as allowing Venoco in August 2015 to transport crude oil that was already onshore by truck for a limited period.

The oil had been evacuated from tanks and pipelines to allow maintenance of the onshore Ellwood facility in Goleta that serves Platform Holly.

[66][67] On August 15, 2017, Plains submitted an application to the Energy and Minerals Division of Santa Barbara County Planning and Development for the replacement of Lines 901 and 903.

[69] Phillips 66 Santa Barbara County refinery was the primary destination for the trucked oil but after the release of the report it was announced that it would be closing.

[70] The Planning Commission of Santa Barbara County rejected the proposal for 78 additional truck trips a day over the steep, narrow, and winding Highway 166 to the Pentland processing plant in the San Joaquin Valley.

[73] Being unable to transport the oil by truck, a pipeline is needed for ExxonMobil to restart its three platforms and the Santa Ynez Unit in Las Flores Canyon.

[5][77] Another bill was signed into law in 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom that increased the state’s oil spill penalties for the first time in 30 years.