Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Oct. 19 a continuation of the local emergency regarding the recent oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach, California. The response to the coastal oil spill in Orange and San Diego County proceeds as the amount of estimated oil leakage dropped from 127,000 gallons to around 25,000 gallons. Michelle Anderson, county director and emergency manager, stated at an Oct. 19 board meeting that over 5,500 gallons have been gathered off the coast along with 13.6 barrels of tar (571.2 gallons), and 475,000 pounds of oil debris. “At this point in time, we do recommend continuing the local emergency proclamation,” Anderson said. Anderson further advised the county to reach three benchmarks in its cleanup efforts before terminating the local emergency. The first benchmark is included within the California Emergency Services Act regarding an ongoing availability of external resources responding to the oil spill. …