Union Oil operated Platform A in the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that helped inspire Earth Day.
Platform A stood in the Dos Cuadras Offshore Oil Field in the Santa Barbara Channel, about six miles from the California coast. On January 28, 1969, drilling of well A-21 encountered high pressure and caused a blowout. Oil and gas escaped not only from the well but also through fractures in the seabed.
The spill fouled beaches and wildlife along the Southern California coast and became one of the most visible environmental disasters in the United States. Union Oil was the operator, while Gulf Oil, Texaco, and Mobil were partners in the lease—one reason quiz players may confuse the answer with another major oil company.
The disaster deeply affected Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, who visited the area and began developing the idea for a national environmental teach-in. That effort became the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. The spill also helped intensify pressure for stronger environmental regulation and public scrutiny of offshore drilling.