Amplify Took Three Hours to Halt California Pipeline Spill (2)

Driller Amplify Energy Corp. took more than three hours to halt California’s worst oil spill in almost three decades, according to a government report.

Following a low-pressure alarm around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 2 from its San Pedro Bay Pipeline, Amplify’s Beta Offshore unit didn’t shut the pipeline down until 6:01 a.m., the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a corrective action order Tuesday.

The company didn’t return messages seeking comment.

While all the details aren’t known, “the facts that are stated are very concerning to us,” said Bill Caram, executive director of Pipeline ...