Freeport-McMoRan plans to decommission its local oil and gas facilities including the Gaviota Onshore Facility, with some oil storage tanks seen here.
Freeport-McMoRan plans to decommission its Santa Barbara County oil and gas facilities including the Gaviota Onshore Facility, with some oil storage tanks seen here. Credit: Courtesy photo

Freeport-McMoRan is moving forward with plans to decommission its Point Arguello oil and gas operations, and Santa Barbara County approved a related environmental review contract on Tuesday. 

The company stopped operating its three offshore platforms and processing facility after the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill and pipeline shutdown. It later decided to decommission them.

On Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors approved a $254,000 contract with MRS Environmental Inc. to prepare an environmental impact report for the decommissioning effort.

That includes removing the Gaviota Onshore Facility at 17100 Calle Mariposa Reina and abandoning or removing miles of pipelines, according to the county. 

This work is proposed within the county and in state waters, which extend 3 miles offshore. 

Freeport-McMoRan will pay all the costs of the environmental impact report contract and related work, according to the county. 

Freeport-McMoRan plans to decommission its Santa Barbara County oil and gas facilities including the Gaviota Onshore Facility, onshore pipelines and pipelines in state waters, and Point Arguello offshore platforms in federal waters.
Freeport-McMoRan plans to decommission its Santa Barbara County oil and gas facilities including the Gaviota Onshore Facility, onshore pipelines and pipelines in state waters, and Point Arguello offshore platforms in federal waters. Credit: Courtesy photo

Each of the three companies that used those pipelines had different outcomes following the spill-related shutdown: Freeport-McMoRan is decommissioning its local assets; Venoco declared bankruptcy in 2017 and the state is decommissioning its facilities; and ExxonMobil transferred its facilities to Sable Offshore Corp. 

The pipeline that connects Santa Barbara County processing facilities to out-of-county refineries is operating again as Sable has partially restarted platform production and is selling the oil to Chevron. 

Decommissioning Permits Pending

Freeport-McMoRan applied for county decommissioning-related permits in 2024, and staff deemed the application complete in 2025. 

The applicant is getting some technical assistance from the Chevron West Coast Decommissioning Program, according to the county.

That program is decommissioning five platforms in federal waters: the three Point Arguello platforms offshore Point Conception and two Santa Clara platforms, offshore Ventura County.  

Freeport-McMoRan plans to decommission its local oil and gas facilities including the Gaviota Onshore Facility, onshore pipelines and pipelines in state waters. Some segments would be removed and some would be abandoned in place, according to the proposed plan.
Freeport-McMoRan plans to decommission its local oil and gas facilities including the Gaviota Onshore Facility, onshore pipelines and pipelines in state waters. Some segments would be removed and some would be abandoned in place, according to the proposed plan. Credit: Courtesy photo

Freeport-McMoRan is plugging and abandoning its wells on the Point Arguello platforms and removing 62 well conductors through a federal permit process, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. 

The contractor for the environmental impact report, MRS Environmental Inc., was selected after two proposals were submitted in a competitive bid process.

The company previously worked on the Carpinteria Chevron decommissioning project and Phillips 66 Santa Maria Refinery demolition project, according to county staff.

Noozhawk executive editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.