Report of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill of 1969.

Tuesday, January 29, 1969 began as a normal work day on Unions Oil's Platform Alpha off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. Workers were pulling up a drilling tube in well A32 in order to replace a broken drill bit. When the tube became stuck, they continued to pull until approximately 10:45 a.m. when loose natural gas 3000 feet below the ocean's surface became dislodged, causing mud and oil to shoot up out of the water onto the …

…had to bring it to the attention of the American people. What [has evolved] is the use of our resources of the sea and of the land in a more effective way and with more concern for preserving the beauty and the natural resources that are so important to any kind of society what we want for the future. The Santa Barbara incident has frankly touched the conscience of the American people" (1969 Oil Spill, para. 16).