An oil company’s proposal to conduct fracking off the Ventura County coast will head to the California Coastal Commission this week.
Plans call for the Oxnard-based DCOR, LLC to use a type of fracking on up to 16 existing oil wells over five years at Platform Gilda, around 9 miles off Ventura. Doing so is expected to increase oil production from 1,100 barrels per day to 4,000 barrel, or 168,000 gallons, per day, officials said.
The oil company says the increased production would support the national interest in reducing dependence on foreign energy sources. But others say that any oil produced would have minimal impacts on energy markets. Meanwhile, the practice could put fisheries, the nearby coast and wildlife in jeopardy.
The California Coastal Commission regulates the coastal zone and reviews whether projects are consistent with state rules. On Aug. 13, commissioners are scheduled to consider DCOR’s proposal at a hearing in Santa Cruz.
Commission staff recommended a “no” vote on the grounds that the project would be inconsistent with state policies, according to a report. The proposed fracking operations would increase the risk of an oil spill by extending and intensifying the use of aging infrastructure, the staff report states.
The platform sits in the ecologically significant Santa Barbara Channel, in federal waters that are not subject to a California prohibition on fracking, officials said. The area includes the Channel Islands National Park, state and federal marine reserves and critical habitat for protected wildlife from migratory whales to threatened sea turtles.
Environmental groups and others also urged commissioners to object to the proposal.
“The impacts posed by fracking at Platform Gilda, including the risk of another spill, are unacceptable,” according to a comment letter signed by three dozen conservation groups.
How much oil could be extracted?
The platform has been in operation since it was installed in the early ’80s, with 70 wells drilled, the most recent in 2014, state officials said. DCOR operated Gilda since 2005.
In all, the fracking operations are expected to produce an estimated 14 million barrels of oil and 13 million cubic feet of natural gas over the next 20 years, according to the commission’s report.
Officials say equipment would inject sea water and chemicals into existing wells at high pressure to create narrow fractures in the rock several thousand feet below the surface. The oil would then be moved through seafloor pipelines from Platform Gilda to an onshore processing facility on the Oxnard coast.
The proposed project is expected to extend the operating life of the Platform Gilda, according to the commission staff.
DCOR officials, however, said a non-concurrence finding does not mean that Gilda’s operational lifespan will be curtailed. The platform would continue to operate under its existing authorizations, the company said.
The projected peak production of approximately 4,000 barrels per day is below both the originally approved production level of 14,000 barrels per day and Gilda’s historical peak production of 7,900 barrels per day, according to DCOR officials.
The company listed factors from extensive technical analyses to multiple layers of operational and environmental safeguards as supporting a finding that the proposal is consistent with state policies.
Where would the fracking happen?
State officials and environmental groups described the channel as an area considered among the most biologically productive marine environments along the California coast.
Sometimes called the Galapagos of North America, the Channel Islands and surrounding waters are home to extensive kelp forests, rocky reefs, commercial and recreational fisheries as well as threatened and endangered wildlife.
Nearby coasts on the Ventura and Santa Barbara mainland and Channel Islands include popular recreation and tourist destinations.
How long has Platform Gilda operated?
In 1980, the commission signed off drilling Platform Gilda wells as consistent with state regulations. According to staff, its findings at the time described an anticipated lifespan for the platform and related pipelines of 18 years.
Platform Gilda has now been in operation for 45 years, more than double the original estimates, according to the commission report.
The company, however, said the platform operates under a federal mineral lease with no fixed end date and can remain in service so long as it is producing.
A federal judge previously prohibited the use of fracking and other well-stimulation treatments off California until properly analyzing the activities’ environmental impact, something state officials say has not yet happened.
Earlier this year, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management prepared an environmental review for DCOR’s proposed project using an expedited process put in place by the Trump administration. The final report was published in April.
More information about the proposal and the commission’s agenda is available at coastal.ca.gov.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oil company proposes fracking at Platform Gilda off Ventura County
Reporting by Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
