Coastal Hazards Program.pdf

The California State Lands Commission manages 4 million acres of tide and submerged lands, protecting and enhancing these lands and natural resources. The Commission oversees sovereign land granted to local jurisdictions and regulates oil spills and invasive species introductions. The Summerland Oil Field in Santa Barbara County has hundreds of legacy oil and gas wells drilled in the late 1890s, with no records of their abandonment, causing oil leaks and sheens on the beach and in the water. The Commission has identified 200 high-priority legacy wells that could leak oil into the marine environment, negatively impacting wildlife and public health. SB 44 provided funding for the Coastal Hazards and Legacy Oil and Gas Well Removal and Remediation Program, which aims to remove and remediate these legacy wells. In 2020, the Commission approved an addendum to the Becker Environmental Impact Report, facilitating CEQA compliance for legacy well plug and abandonment, and developed a safe approach to stop leaking legacy wells by installing a pipe pile to encase the wellhead in cement to bedrock.