Along the coastline west of Santa Barbara last week rose an apparition from 1969, as oil defiled the surface of the Pacific, the beachside rocks, wildlife.

The catastrophe offshore from Santa Barbara 46 years ago was massive — 3 million gallons of oil, its release unstoppable for weeks. The political impact was massive as well, as it essentially created one of California's premier movements, environmental protection.

Tuesday's spill is likely to leave a less-lasting footprint, for myriad reasons.

It was smaller, at 21,000 gallons in the water and perhaps five times that much on land. And although the big one was a shocker, this one really isn't, not after the Exxon Valdez spill and the more recent Gulf of Mexico blowout.

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