The Study to Provide Information Related to Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Alternatives in California

At present, as California’s twenty seven offshore oil and gas platforms reach the end of their productive lives, the existing leases require that the platforms be dismantled and removed by the oil companies who own them. However, past decommissioning experience and research have demonstrated that full removal is a complicated and challenging process with a host of potential environmental impacts: these include air and water quality impacts stemming from the physical process of and equipment necessary for removing the platforms to the disruption of diverse marine communities that the platforms host and which may contribute valuable ecosystem services to the Southern California Bight. These complexities lead to a suite of questions: Which solution is in the best interest of common good? What information do we have on hand to help resource managers address the alternatives? What else should be considered?
 
To help inform this discussion, the California Ocean Science Trust (OST) coordinated a "Study to Provide Information Related to Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Alternatives in California." This study will help the state examine the alternatives for decommissioning existing oil and gas platforms. The project was funded jointly by the California Ocean Protection Council, Chevron Corporation, the Ocean Conservancy, the Sportfishing Conservancy, and the United Anglers. The purpose of this study is to assemble and examine scientific and legal information that will frame future state policy discussions on the alternatives for decommissioned platforms.  Information developed through this study will be used by the California Natural Resources Agency to evaluate and inform policy discussions.  The study was an iterative process where the selected contracting team worked with the California Ocean Science Trust and an Expert Advisory Committee. 

Final Report: "Evaluating Alternatives for Decommissioning California's Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms: A Technical Analysis to Inform State Policy"

This report is one of the final products of the study. It presents an authoritative synthesis of scientific, financial, and legal information on platform decommissioning, and includes the following elements:s

• detailed background on decommissioning California’s oil and gas platforms, including descriptions of previous decommissioning efforts in California and elsewhere;
• a thorough outline of the legal and regulatory context for decommissioning
•  prioritization and analysis of various decommissioning alternatives
• comparative analysis of the identified alternatives, in relation to numerous  factors (marine resources, air emissions, socioeconomic impacts, ocean access, birds and marine mammals, water quality, decommissioning costs, and programmatic costs)
• a description of the institutional challenges, constraints, and opportunities; and
• answers to stakeholder questions posed in the Request for Proposals

To download Frequently Asked Questions about this report and study, please use the following link:

Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 119KB)

To download the Memorandum announcing the release of the report, please use the following link:

Decommissioning Report Release Memo (PDF, 62KB)

To download the report, please use one of the following links:

Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Report (hyperlinked appendices) (PDF, 6.86MB)

Full Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Report (with appendices) (PDF, 15.7MB)

Executive Summary for Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Report (PDF, 810KB)

PLATFORM Model

The PLATFORM model was created as a supplementary tool for the final report. PLATFORM provides an interactive environment in which users can investigate costs and other implications of specific decommissioning projects in more detail.  PLATFORM will remain useful for future use as new data and information regarding various aspects of decommissioning becomes available.

To download, use, and learn more about the PLATFORM model, please do the following:

1. Download free Analytica 4.2 Player
2. Download the PLATFORM model (Right click and choose option "save as." The file will save to your computer and you can open using Analytica 4.2.)
3. Read PLATFORM User Guide

If you have any questions or problems using the model, please contact diana.pietri@calost.org.

To learn more about the multi-attribute decision analysis used in PLATFORM, please read Appendix 5 of the final report.

Project Background

In 2007, the California Natural Resources Agency began investigating issues surrounding alternatives for decommissioning of the 27 oil and gas platforms in California’s State Tidelands and off the Outer Continental Shelf.  The Natural Resources Agency established a three-phase process to formulate and inform policy options.

For Phase II (“Conduct Comprehensive Investigation”) of this process, in October 2008 the Natural Resources Agency partnered with the California Ocean Science Trust to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a “Study to Provide Information Related to Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Alternatives in California.”  As described in the RFP, the purpose of this study was “to assemble and examine scientific and legal information that will frame future state policy discussion on the alternatives for decommissioned platforms.”

In accordance with its mission of supplying California decision makers with rigorous and objective technical information, the OST was tasked by the Natural Resources Agency with coordinating all aspects of the study.  Drawing from respected and venerable models such as the National Academies, the OST designed a comprehensive, deliberative study process with the goal of ensuring a thorough, balanced, and unbiased final report that would be a useful reference for decision-makers.  OST’s process encompassed extensive expert technical review of the RFP, revision and release of the RFP, and selection and oversight of a qualified project team.  Furthermore, through a public nomination process the OST convened an Expert Advisory Committee (EAC), whose role is further described below.

Public Briefings

In October 2009, the OST hosted a public briefing – presented by the project team lead, Dr. Brock Bernstein – for the Study to Provide Information Related to Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Alternatives in California.  The meeting was held Wednesday, October 28 from 1p.m. to 4p.m. at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project facilities at 3535 Harbor Blvd., Suite 110 Costa Mesa, CA. Public briefing minutes are available as well as an overview of decommissioning options handout distributed during the briefing.

The final briefing for this study will be held as part of the June 24-25 California Ocean Protection Council Meeting in Santa Barbara. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the key findings of the report through a two-part panel including members of the project team, as well as stakeholders and agency representatives with expertise in oil and gas platform decommissioning. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about and comment on the key findings of the report.

Project Team

The Project Team for the Oil and Gas Platform Decommissioning Study is a multidisciplinary team representing a range of expertise, including marine ecology, socioeconomics, decision analysis modeling, and marine law and policy. The team includes the following individuals:

The Expert Advisory Committee

Given the importance of the issue, it is essential that the study process is thorough, deliberative, and incorporates the expertise of a broad range of individuals in relevant disciplines.  Therefore, OST convened an Expert Advisory Committee through a public nomination process provided constructive guidance to the project team throughout the course of the study. 

The Expert Advisory Committee played a critical role in ensuring that the state would receive authoritative and robust advice on this important issue.  They informed the selection of the project team, reviewed the team’s products, provided advice on the study process throughout the course of the project, and deepened the expertise that helped to shape the project findings. 

The Expert Advisory Committee was be responsible for the following tasks and deliverables:

1. Reviewed and evaluated project proposals.
2. Reviewed and commented on the Interim Deliverable prepared by the project team
3. Participated in an Interim Meeting with the projec team.  This Expert Advisory Committee meeting served as a forum for discussion and collaborative problem solving by the project team and the Expert Advisory Committee members, and included consideration of the Expert Advisory Committee’s comments on the Interim Deliverable.  The meeting was facilitated jointly by OST and the Expert Advisory Committee.
4. Reviewed and evaluated the project team’s report drafts.
5. Participated in a Final Expert Advisory Committee Meeting.  This meeting focused on clarifying needed changes and refinements to the draft report and any gap-filling research and analysis was warranted.  As with the first meeting, this meeting served as a forum for collaborative problem solving.

Please see the Expert Advisory Committee Scope Statement for more detailed information about the Committee.

The California Attorney General's Office also provided advice to the OST, the consulting team, and the Expert Advisory Committee on issues regarding the legal components of the study.