A federal investigation into the October oil spill that tarred the Orange County coast has been stalled for several months while officials wait for permission to cut apart, remove and analyze a portion of the ruptured pipeline.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday that the agency is still waiting for permits from federal officialsbefore cutting apart the San Pedro Bay pipeline and transporting the damaged section to a lab for analysis.

That analysis, which was expected to start in 2021, could help reveal how long ago the damage to the pipeline occurred, a key factor in determining responsibility for the disaster.

Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigators currently must rely on video captured during underwater inspections of the pipeline. Without a more detailed forensic examination of the damage in a laboratory, investigators won’t know if they should continue pursuing their initial line of inquiry or shift the probe in a new direction.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.