Fifty Years After Santa Barbara Spill, Oil Drilling Fight Goes On

Fifty years ago and five miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., an oil well blew, cracking the sea floor and sending 3 million gallons of crude oil into the water.

The oil coated 35 miles of coastline and was so thick on the water it muted the sound of waves.

But the largest oil spill in the nation at the time also amplified drilling concerns and helped trigger the modern environmental movement, quickly leading to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 and, a few months later, the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Clean Air Act, ...