The pacific coast: a reluctant area of promise

Journal Article · Thu Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5080942

McNally, R

America's first offshore well was drilled from a wooden pier extending outward from the coastal town of Summerland, Calif., just east of Santa Barbara. That was in 1894, and in the 90 years since then some 4,000 additional wells have been drilled off the California coast. But the region still qualifies as a legitimate Area of Promise because those 4,000 wells account for only 13% of all U.S. offshore wells, and leases offshore California accounted for only 7% of the 12.6 million acres under lease around the U.S. as of the end of 1982. platform plans already have been announced. But installing the platforms won't be without problems-most of them caused by the environmental concerns of coastal residents. During the course of drilling 30,000 wells around the U.S. there has been only one serious mishap. And that, unfortunately, was the 1969 Santa Barbara blowout. Besides coating beaches and wildlife along the Santa Barbara Channel with crude oil, the blowout had a more-lasting effect in that it galvanized and unified the environmental movement. So now there is a virtual cartel of some 30 environmental groups that must be dealt with by oil companies that want to drill offshore the U.S. Pacific Coast.

• OSTI ID: 5080942
• Journal Information: Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States), Journal Name: Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States) Vol. 55:15; ISSN PEEID
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ACCIDENTS
AIR QUALITY
BLOWOUTS
CHALCOGENIDES
DRILLING
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ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NITROUS OXIDE
NORTH AMERICA
OFFSHORE DRILLING
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
OIL SPILLS
OIL WELLS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POWER GENERATION
SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL
USA
WELLS
WEST COAST