Legislation intended to deal with some abandoned oil wells along the state’s coastline, including some off the South Coast passed a key milestone this week.
The State Senate passed SB 44, which would require the State Lands Commission to step in to deal with hundreds of orphaned oil wells. Democratic State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson of Santa Barbara authored the bill.
There are an estimated 200 abandoned wells on the Southern Santa Barbara County coastline alone, and because the companies which drilled them are out of business, there is no one responsible for dealing with them. SB 44 would redirect two million dollars annually from state minerals leases to fund a survey of the problem, and to start addressing the issue.
The bill now goes to the State Assembly for consideration.
