The California State Lands Commission (the Commission) administers leases related to oil and gas operations located in and adjacent to the state’s waterways, beaches, and coastline. When four oil and gas platforms (“4H Platforms”) were decommissioned and removed from the Santa Barbara Channel in the mid-1990s, each left behind a mound of byproducts from drilling operations which over time became covered with sediment and shells. The Commission is in the process of determining whether Chevron, the lease holder, has met the lease obligations, which include a proposal to keep the 4H shell mounds in place in their current configuration, unless otherwise specified. To inform its decision, the Commission has produced a report summarizing impacts to public trust resources that could occur if the mounds are left in place. The Commission is partnering with Ocean Science Trust to lead a peer review process assessing the scientific merits of the report with the goal of ensuring that the decision is guided by sound science.
