New plan for Calif. offshore oil announced

By NOAKI SCHWARTZ, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 11:46 a.m.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A revised agreement between several conservation groups and an oil company that wants to expand drilling off the coast of California's scenic Santa Barbara County has been released.

The Environmental Defense Center said Wednesday that the revision addresses concerns that sidetracked the original 2008 plan, principally by making the agreement public and by giving the state the right to enforce it.

The plan would allow Houston-based Plains Exploration & Production to drill new shafts from an existing offshore platform into an undersea formation in state waters.

PXP would shut down existing oil production from three offshore platforms in nine years and a fourth platform in 14 years. It also requires removal of two onshore facilities and hundreds of acres of onshore wells.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... announced/