Evaluating Alternatives for Decommissioning CA’s Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms: A Technical Analysis to Inform State Policy

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got this in my email today – just joined to share it

TO: California Ocean and Coastal Community

FROM: Skyli McAfee, Executive Director, Ocean Science Trust

DATE: June 8, 2010

SUBJECT: “Evaluating Alternatives for Decommissioning California’s Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms: A Technical Analysis to Inform State Policy.”

The OST today released a report that identifies decommissioning options for the 27 state and federal oil and gas platforms off California’s coast. The report is compilation of existing relevant information that was thoroughly reviewed by a committee of experts. It will provide policy makers and stakeholders with a central source of information from which informed decommissioning decisions can be made.

It is important to note that the report is not about offshore oil drilling or oil exploration. Rather, it identifies and analyzes the impacts of a variety of decommissioning options that could be implemented once an oil and gas platform reaches the end of its design life. While the report does not provide any policy recommendations, by addressing a broad range of issues – from air quality to liability concerns to ecological impacts – the report identifies tradeoffs among decommissioning options.

Under the current regulatory framework, federal and state leases require complete removal of any installed facilities upon decommissioning. Consideration of any option other than full removal would require changes in state legislation. The report and the data within will serve as an authoritative synthesis of existing scientific, financial, and legal information regarding options for decommissioning California’s offshore oil and gas platforms. The full report can be accessed at http://calost.org/reports/Decommissioning_Report.pdf.

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