Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas information program: outer continental shelf oil and gas activities in the Pacific (Southern California) and their onshore impacts. A summary report, May 1980

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas exploration and development have been under way in the Pacific (Southern California) Region since 1966. During that time, there have been four Federal lease sales. Oil and gas production from three leases has been going on since 1968. It peaked in 1971, and now averages around 31,400 barrels of oil and 15.4 million cubic feet of gas per day. Discoveries on areas leased in the 1968 and 1975 sales have led to plans for eight new platforms to begin production in the early 1980's. Five platforms are in the eastern end of Santa Barbara Channel, one is in the western Channel, and two are in San Pedro Bay, south of Long Beach. Three rigs are doing exploratory drilling in the Region. The most recent estimates by the US Geological Survey of remaining reserves for all identified fields in the Southern California Region are 695 million barrels of oil and 1575 billion cubic feet of gas (January 1979). Risked estimates of economically recoverable resources of all leased tracts are 394 million barrels of oil and 1295 billion cubic feet of gas. The USGS estimates of undiscovered recoverable resources for the entire Southern California OCSmore » Region (January 1980) are 3200 million barrels of oil and 3400 billion cubic feet of gas. Because of the long history of oil and gas production in Southern California from wells onshore and in State waters, there are many existing facilities for the transportation, processing, and refining of oil and gas. Four new onshore projects will be required.« less