Accord near for offshore California oil shipments
There are faint glimmers of hope again for offshore California operators. After more than a decade of often bitter strife over offshore oil and gas development and transportation issues, state officials and oil producers may be moving toward compromise solutions. One such solution may be forthcoming on offshore development. But the real change came with the turnabout of the California Coastal Commission (CCC), which last month approved a permit for interim tankering of crude from Point Arguello oil field in the Santa Barbara Channel to Los Angeles. The dispute over how to ship offshore California crude to market has dragged on since before Point Arguelo development plans were unveiled. The project's status has become a flashpoint in the U.S. debate over resource use and environmental concerns. The controversy flared anew in the wake of the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill off Alaska, when CCC voided a Santa Barbara County permit for interim tankering, a move project operator Chevron Corp. linked to the Exxon Valdez accident. Faced with litigation, the state's economic devastation, and acrimonious debate over transporting California crude, Gov. Pete Wilson and other agencies approved the CCC permit. But there's a catch: A permanent pipeline must be built to handle full production within 3 years. The paper discusses permit concerns, the turnaround decision, the anger of environmental groups, and pipeline proposals.
- OSTI ID:
- 6061231
- Journal Information:
- Oil and Gas Journal; (United States), Vol. 91:7; ISSN 0030-1388
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CALIFORNIA
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
TANKER SHIPS
COASTAL WATERS
CONSTRUCTION
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
PERMITS
PETROLEUM
PIPELINES
TRANSPORT
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
NORTH AMERICA
SHIPS
SURFACE WATERS
USA
022000* - Petroleum- Transport
Handling
& Storage
021000 - Petroleum- Legislation & Regulations