Venoco Inc. has filed a voter initiative with the city of Carpinteria on behalf of its proposed extended-reach drilling project originating at the company’s Dump Road processing facility.

Carpinterians Michael Downs, Christine Gahan and Vernon Mesick made the filing Monday and local residents will begin collecting signatures to place the “Carpinteria Community Initiative” on the November ballot. To qualify, signatures must be collected from at least 15 percent of the city’s registered voters within 180 days.

Venoco has been working with Carpinteria officials to develop a plan to use extended-reach drilling technology to access offshore oil and natural gas reserves without the need for an additional platform in the Santa Barbara Channel. Venoco representatives recently visited and interviewed residents to discuss the proposal and to seek community feedback. If approved, the project will generate an estimated $200 million in state royalties and other revenue for Carpinteria.

“We worked diligently to contact as many residents of Carpinteria as we could,” Venoco spokesman Steve Greig said Tuesday. “What we found, overwhelmingly, is that residents want the opportunity to vote on this important project.”

If the development proves successful, Venoco will be required by law to donate to the city 20 acres of coastal land to be preserved as open space. The company also must donate $5 million to the Carpinteria Education Foundation.

If the ballot measure does not pass, Venoco will continue to use the Dump Road facility, near Carpinteria Avenue east of Tar Pits Park, to process and deliver oil and natural gas from existing offshore platforms. Because of a change in state law, royalties from any future development of the reserves would accrue to the state and not to the city.

Write to wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com