Cleanup costs for Santa Barbara oil spill hit $62 million

The work isn't done yet, but Plains All American Pipeline has already spent $62 million on efforts to clean the oil spill that marred the coast of Santa Barbara, California, May 19.

Patrick Hodgins, the company's on-scene coordinator, told The Associated Press it's costing about $3 million a day, and there is no timetable for when the cleanup will be finished. So far, 76 percent of 97 miles of coastline have been cleared, and crews are using tools to scrape oil off rocks, a time consuming process. "The responsibility here it to get it cleaned up as quickly as possible," Hodgins said.

Up to 101,000 gallons of crude leaked during the spill, with roughly 21,000 gallons passing through a storm drain to the Pacific Ocean. Two state beaches were closed, a fishing ban was enacted, and wildlife experts say 161 dead birds and 87 marine mammals, mostly sea lions, have been recovered. More than 100 animals discovered coated with oil are being rehabilitated.

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