A company with a history of oil spills can soon resume pumping oil in Santa Barbara County.

Greka Oil & Gas Inc. received an operating permit Monday from the county that includes several stipulations for drilling near Santa Maria. The order comes several months after the county cited Greka more than 140 times for health and safety violations and halted its operations.

County officials say the permit requires the company to notify county fire inspectors a day before they start work. Inspectors must also approve a fire protection system. Another facility in Santa Maria has not been authorized to restart operations.

The county halted Greka's drilling in February after reports of waste water ponds breaching nearby containment basins. The county says the company has corrected its problems.

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