Contract: HVI Cat Canyon; Abandoned Bankruptcy Estate Assets; Cat Canyon, Casmalia, and Santa Maria Valley Oil Field Well and Facility Abandonments
Summary
SCH Number
2022080296
Public Agency
California Department of Conservation
(DOC)
Document Title
Contract: HVI Cat Canyon; Abandoned Bankruptcy Estate Assets; Cat Canyon, Casmalia, and Santa Maria Valley Oil Field Well and Facility Abandonments
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/12/2022
Document Description
The proposed project is an invitation for bid to abandon the 210 wells and the attendant facilities and pipelines in Santa Barbara County.
Per Public Resources Code, Section 3250 et. seq. hazardous and idle-deserted oil and gas wells are public nuisances and that it is essential, in order to protect life, health, and natural resources that such oil and gas wells be plugged and abandoned, re-abandoned, produced, or otherwise remedied to mitigate, minimize, or eliminate their danger to life, health and natural resources.
Work to be performed consists of 210 well abandonments and the removal of all tanks, above-ground pipelines, debris, and other facilities and equipment. Remaining buried pipelines will be purged of oil and filled with an inert fluid. Toxic or hazardous materials will be removed and disposed of in accordance with Department of Toxic Substances Control requirements. The well tasks include cleaning out each well and plugging with cement and inert mud. The well casings will be cut down approximately 5 ft below ground level and plated, and the surface at each site shall be restored. All oil and gas related facilities will be removed, and sites restored to as close to the original condition. That will include removing many of the pads and seeding them. Roads will be left in place if landowners choose to keep the roads.
The work to is expected to take about 18-24 months to complete
Contact Information
Name
Jan Perez
Agency Name
Department of Conservation, California Geologic Energy Management
Job Title
Senior Environmental Scientist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Santa Barbara
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
Multiple locations in the Cat Canyon, Casmalia, and Santa Maria Valley Oil Fields in Santa Barbara County.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1 – Existing Facility
Reasons for Exemption
The project is categorically exempt from CEQA under the “Class 1” (14 CCR 15301) exemption per the CEQA Guidelines because the field well maintenance and pipeline isolation are within an existing oil field and involves no expansion of use of the oil field.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 7 – Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of Natural Resources
Reasons for Exemption
The project is categorically exempt from CEQA under the “Class 7” (14 CCR 15307) exemption per the CEQA Guidelines because it is an action taken by regulatory agencies as authorized by state law or local ordinance to assure the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of a natural resource where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 8 - Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment
Reasons for Exemption
The project is categorically exempt from CEQA under the “Class 8” (14 CCR 15308) exemption per the CEQA Guidelines because it is an action taken by regulatory agencies, as authorized by state or local ordinance, to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment where the regulatory process involves procedures for protection of the environment.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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