Updated Plans Will Better Protect Endangered Species, Coastal Environment
December 18, 2024 – HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has concluded a review and determined it necessary to revise drilling plans for the Beta Unit off the Southern California coast. The agency conducted the assessment in light of recent oil spills and new scientific data, and after a successful lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity over the outdated plans.
The Beta Unit, which includes the offshore oil platforms Edith, Ellen, Elly and Eureka, has been under scrutiny since the Huntington Beach oil spill in 2021. That spill leaked tens of thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean, closed miles of beaches and fisheries, and killed and injured birds and other wildlife. It was caused by a puncture in a pipeline running from Platform Elly that takes oil to shore in Long Beach.
"Revising these dangerous outdated oil drilling plans is a good step toward safeguarding endangered whales, sea turtles and other animals, but we also need to see more action on phasing out drilling," said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center. "Offshore drilling is always risky, and it’s time to shut down these rusty old relics and get them out of the water."
BOEM notified the Beta Unit operator of its determination on Sunday. The required revisions will follow a long-awaited review of drilling plans that were written in the 1970s and ‘80s when the platforms were constructed.
BOEM’s review concluded that the drilling plans need to be revised because of proposed changes in the way some of the infrastructure is used. The agency is also directing all Pacific operators to incorporate new protections for endangered species into plans, including the plans for the Santa Ynez Unit off Santa Barbara.
The revisions should trigger public processes, allowing for community input and oversight. BOEM will continue working to ensure that the changes are implemented.
"More oversight of federal offshore drilling couldn’t come at a better time since the Trump administration is likely to try to offer oil companies new leases off California," Monsell said. "A Trump action like that would put our beautiful coast at new risk of oil spills, and it flies in the face of California’s longstanding ban on leasing additional state waters for offshore drilling."
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.7 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Source: Center for Biological Diversity