OFFSHORE OIL

Aerial photograph of the 1969 well blowout at Platform A.

Protecting our coastal environment and communities from the risks and impacts of offshore oil development has been integral to EDC’s work since our founding.

EDC was established in the aftermath of the 1969 oil spill from Platform A near Santa Barbara.  Over 3 million gallons of oil spewed into the ocean and blackened the coast from Point Conception to Ventura County.  This tragedy has been referred to as the “oil spill heard around the world” and focused new attention on the substantial impacts that human activities can have on the environment.  The 1969 spill is credited with giving birth to the modern environmental movement and the first Earth Day celebration, as well as spurring the adoption of many state and federal environmental protection laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Coastal Act, and more.

Beach cleanup efforts during the 1969 oil spill. Photo Robert Duncan	Volunteer efforts to clean a local harbor, 1969 oil spill. Photo Robert Duncan

After the oil spill, local residents and state officials implored the federal government to disallow any further offshore oil and gas development.  Although the federal government established a small offshore Ecological Preserve near Santa Barbara and established the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary surrounding the five northern Channel Islands, most of the offshore region was left unprotected.  Between 1969 and 1984, the federal government continued to approve further lease sales offshore Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. 

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush issued an executive order prohibiting further federal leasing pending studies to be conducted by the National Research Council.  This oil moratorium was extended until 2012 by President Clinton and then rescinded by President George W. Bush in 2008.  From 1982 – 2008, Congress created its own moratoria each year by restricting the use of federal funds from being used to support new leasing in many areas of the country, including the entire California coast.  That moratorium expired in September 2008.

Before the beginning of the federal moratoria, many oil and gas projects were permitted off our coast.  There are currently approximately 20 platforms offshore the Tri-Counties region, mostly in federal waters (more than three miles offshore).  In addition, there are 36 federal leases that were sold between 1968 and 1984 that have still not been developed. 

Santa Barbara County Energy Division Map

EDC has represented dozens of local, state and federal organizations that are dedicated to protecting our precious coast from the impacts of offshore oil and gas development.  Such development threatens the environment and our communities with the risk of oil spills, degradation of our air and water quality, harm to public health and safety, impacts to marine wildlife, cultural resources, and aesthetics, and conflicts with our local tourism and fishing industries.  In addition, oil and gas are fossil fuels, which means that the eventual use and consumption of these fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change.

Our goals in responding to offshore oil and gas development threats are twofold: to prevent new leasing and development, and to phase out existing production operations.  Instead of continuing our reliance on fossil fuels like oil and gas, we need to pursue non-polluting energy strategies like conservation, efficiency, and investing in renewable sources of energy.

Federal Leasing and Development

Federal oil and gas production is regulated by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and Minerals Management Service (MMS) under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).  OCSLA provides a four-step process for approving offshore oil and gas projects:

• Five-Year Lease Plans analyze the country’s needs, supplies, and options for new leasing;
• Lease Sales: areas identified in a final Five-Year Lease Plan may be sold to private companies through a bidding process.  Leases are valid for five to ten years.  Purchase of a lease does not guarantee a right to development, but rather provides an exclusive right to apply for exploration and development permits;
• Exploration Plans (EPs): once a lease is purchased, the buyer develops a plan to explore the area for development potential.  Exploration activities, such as seismic surveys and exploratory drilling, can pose impact to the environment and often require environmental review;
• Development and Production Plans (DPPs): following successful exploration, a company may apply for permission to develop the lease.  Development activities involve construction impacts (from installing platforms, pipelines, onshore processing, storage and transportation facilities) and operational impacts (from drilling, discharging byproducts into the ocean, transporting, processing and refining operations).  Once commercial production commences, the lease has no termination date.

Current Threats

There are 19 platforms located offshore Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.  Oil and gas from these platforms is shipped by pipeline to onshore processing facilities.  From the processing facilities, the gas is sent to market via natural gas pipelines.  The crude oil is transported to refineries, mostly in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Bakersfield areas.  There is an asphalt refinery in Santa Maria and another refinery in southern San Luis Obispo County. 

In addition to operations from these facilities, our region faces the threat of development from 36 existing but undeveloped federal leases, as well as the threat of new leasing now that the federal oil moratorium has expired. Learn more about our Federal Oil Lease Litigation. The U.S. Minerals Management Service and the oil industry view the existing platforms and infrastructure here as providing opportunities for expanded drilling and production at minimal cost.  New “slant drilling” technology allows an operator to develop oil and gas reserves up to five miles from an existing oil platform.

As result of the lifting of the federal oil moratorium, the Bush Administration issued a new Five-Year Lease Plan.  This Plan includes the entire Santa Barbara County coast as a potential area for new leasing, including the federal Ecological Preserve near the City of Santa Barbara.  The Department of Interior scheduled public hearings on the Plan in April 2009; the comment period has been extended until September 21, 2009.  EDC submitted comments at the San Francisco hearing, urging the Obama Administration to delete all references to California from the new Five-Year Lease Plan. Click here for more information from the Minerals Management Service regarding the proposed Five-Year Lease Plan.

State Leasing and Development

In State waters, which are located within the first three miles from shore, there is only one remaining oil platform offshore UCSB and Isla Vista (Platform Holly), as well as a pier located near Rincon. The State has not granted any new leases since the 1969 oil spill.  In 1994, EDC helped sponsor the California Coastal Sanctuary Act, which imposed a permanent ban on new leasing in State waters.  There is one exception to this ban: if State reserves are being drained from an adjacent federal oil platform.  In addition, if a field that is currently being produced from a State platform extends beyond the existing lease, the operator can request an extension of that lease boundary.  In both cases, the State must weigh the benefits and impacts of the proposal and assert its discretionary authority.

Current Threats

Venoco Inc., has applied to the California State Lands Commission for permission to expand the Ellwood Field located offshore Santa Barbara County near UCSB.  EDC represents four groups opposed to this proposal, which would threaten the University’s ecologically sensitive Coal Oil Point Reserve and important coastal recreation and habitat areas.Learn more about our Venoco Ellwood Oil Development case.

Venoco has also applied to the City of Carpinteria for permission to construct a new drilling tower next to the Carpinteria Bluffs and City Hall, in order to drill into several offshore State leases.  EDC represents several groups in opposition to this proposal, which would violate the City’s zoning ordinance and pose significant impacts to the Carpinteria coast, nearby seal sanctuary, and other coastal wildlife. Learn more about the Venoco Paredon Project here.

Read EDC's Letter to the Honorable Barbara Boxer, Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, showing EDC's support for S. 3358, the West Coast Protection Act of 2010, which would protect our precious coastal resources from the utenable risks associated with offshore oil production.