Oil Sheen Likely from Natural Seepage

After various national publications ran a story about a “petroleum sheen” appearing on the surface of the water near ExxonMobil’s Heritage platform off the Santa Barbara coast on 1/14, the oil company’s spokespeople have sought to clarify that the sheen was initially spotted by platform personnel and likely resulted from natural seepage, which leaks as much as 70 barrels of crude per day into the Santa Barbara Channel.