In May 2015 a corroded Plains All American oil pipeline burst, spilling nearly 3000 barrels of crude that covered Refugio State Beach near Santa Barbara, California. The incident killed hundreds of marine mammals, fish, birds and other wildlife.  

This past Friday Plains All American Pipeline LP agreed to pay about $60.6 million to settle civil charges it violated federal pipeline safety laws in connection with the mishap. 

These penalties are in addition to approximately $150 million that the company has spent on cleanup, which continued on into 2016, according to Reuters.  

There have furthermore been multiple claims and lawsuits were filed against the company and more may be coming, according to public company documents.

Plains will be required in the wake of the court ruling to implement safeguards for its nationwide pipeline system, in part to address factors that contributed to the spillage north of Refugio State Beach. This will likely include an enhanced pipeline integrity program for the entire system.