In response to accusations that representatives of Plains All American Pipeline — the giant oil company responsible for the Refugio Oil Spill — overstepped their bounds during the cleanup, the Santa Barbara Grand Jury found they were in compliance with federal, state, and local laws. In its four-page report, the Grand Jury dismissed allegations Plains unduly “took over” the county’s Emergency Operations Center. “The Jury learned that in this case, the County EOC was acting as a ‘landlord’ to the Unified Command that was formed in response to the oil spill,” the report stated. Meanwhile, the department’s director, Ryan Rockabrand, is leaving the county this month.
