The State Lands Commission (Commission) and the City of Goleta hosted a virtual Town Hall on August 27 to update the community, policymakers, and others about the status of the Platform Holly and Piers 421 decommissioning projects. Mayor Pro Tempore Kyle Richards welcomed attendees and thanked them for participating. He emphasized the importance of these projects and noted that they are emblematic of California’s shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy.
The Commission’s Executive Officer, Jennifer Lucchesi, summarized the purpose of the Town Hall and introduced Jeff Planck, the co-project manager, who gave an overview of the progress to date, status update, and next steps. Jeff explained that the well plug and abandonment work is paused because of the pandemic, and that this will delay the eventual decommissioning (platform removal). Jeff also explained that the Commission is proceeding with preliminary work to decommission the PRC 421 onshore piers.
The Town Hall also included questions from the community. Questions were about the anticipated timing for decommissioning Platform Holly, costs, and other project elements.
In case you missed the meeting, it is being rebroadcast on Channel 19 on Thursdays and Fridays at 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. You can also watch a recording on the City’s website at https://tinyurl.com/y6cnbwsx. A copy of the presentation is available here. To sign up to receive information as the project progresses go to www.slc.ca.gov and go to E-list and sign up for Platform Holly.
Background
In 2017, Venoco quitclaimed its Platform Holly and Ellwood Beach pier leases, ending oil and gas production in state waters in the Santa Barbara Channel and returning operational control to the State Lands Commission. The Commission, together with its contractor, Beacon West Energy Group, has been ensuring the security and safe daily operations and maintenance at Platform Holly and the Ellwood Onshore Facility since that time. The plug and abandonment work on Platform Holly, a precursor to decommissioning Platform Holly, began in October 2019 following the plug and abandonment of the onshore Piers.
Pictured: Piers 421