Gray shading shows area mapped by USGS with interferometric sonar in 2005 (Santa Barbara is off map to left, about 18 km west of Carpinteria). Oil platforms are labeled in white. Bathymetric contours are at 5-m-depth intervals.
(Reuters) A conservation group said the federal government must stop approving offshore fracking from oil platforms in California’s Santa Barbara Channel under the settlement of a lawsuit it filed.
The group, the Center for Biological Diversity, in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, had challenged what it said was the U.S. Department of the Interior’s practice of rubber-stamping fracking off California’s coast without engaging the public or analyzing fracking’s threats to ocean ecosystems, coastal communities and marine life.
The settlement reached on Friday prohibits officials from authorizing fracking practices in federal waters until the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement complete an environmental review, the Center for Biological Diversity said.
The pause, however, will not likely affect production at large because California has not been producing much offshore oil lately.
Oil companies have fracked at least 200 wells in Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach and in the wildlife-rich Santa Barbara Channel, the Center for Biological Diversity said.
The settlement could potentially affect oversight of all federally permitted offshore fracking, including fracking in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the group said.
The U.S. Department of the Interior could not be reached immediately for comment.
© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 110,040 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
By Gary McWilliams and Marianna Parraga HOUSTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Helene was expected to turn eastward on its track through the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico, increasing...
The National Hurricane Center warns that Tropical Storm Helene is is forecast to rapidly intensify as it approaches the southeastern United States. Forecasters predict Helene will reach major hurricane status...
Amogy, a pioneer in ammonia-to-power solutions, has successfully demonstrated the world’s first carbon-free, ammonia-powered maritime vessel. The NH3 Kraken, a retrofitted 1957 tugboat, completed its maiden voyage on a tributary...
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
Sign Up
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 110,040 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
