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Central Coast oil platform sets new record

April 17, 2010

Exxon Mobil’s Santa Barbara facility set a new record for slant drilling from an oil platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, bringing to the forefront tensions between those in favor of local oil exploration and those opposed to off shore drilling. [PacificCoastBusinessTimes]

On April 16, Exxon announced that it had drilled more than six miles horizontally for a total reach of more than seven miles, from a platform located off the coast of Gaviota. Because of new technology, the company is slated to produce an extra 5.8 million barrels of oil from three area platforms, which have produced 450 million barrels of oil since 1981.

Meanwhile, a group of environmentalists are pushing to revive a deal with Plains Exploration & Production Co., to remove an off shore processing plant. If they are successful, new oil companies which would have to build their own facilities which would increase cost and prohibit some from drilling.

Researchers report there is as much as 3.4 billion barrels of oil off the central coast, according to research by Tom Bjorklund, a professor at the University of Houston. Slant drilling opens up the procurement of these reserves.


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One politician not too long ago (because of the immense web we weave) suggested that California be divided into a two or three part state to better manage the economic problem.


Just a silly thought:


If it were possible, we could seal the Central Coast

and only allow horse back riding or horse driven carriage

and any pedal powered carriage internally

and only permit motor vehicles to be driven on the outskirts of each city

or along the vein lines of a highway or freeway.

It would be like living in a quasi-old western days.

and combine with wind, solar and hydropower surely would reduce dependence on oil.

Additionally it would be a healthier way of life.

I don’t think this is practical in a large city like Los Angeles.

If I lived in LA, I could only dream of moving to such a place.


Just a silly thought.

Kind of makes one wandered how we evolved to where we are at and how we’ve been held to such a status quo.


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In no way, shape, or form does drilling for oil in the United States LIMIT our DEPENDENCE on foreign oil. Like every other lousy idea the last two generations have come up with, it simply DEFERS it. The only thing that limits our dependence on foreign oil is limiting our use of energy.


By drilling, we simply USE UP our own supply of oil. By purchasing oil from foreign countries now, we retain a local supply for later, thereby REDUCING our long-term dependence on foreign oil.


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Wow talk about knee-jerk reactions on the Thumbs Down button… but no one explains why? Is it because everyone has had it beaten into their head that it’s our dependence on foreign oil that gets us involved in wars. That is nonsense, because we are truly *dependent* on foreign oil yet, we simply choose to purchase a lot of it. Again, word play has been utilized by the powers that be to alter the context of an argument. People need to start thinking for themselves. Purchasing a commodity from someone does not necessarily turn you into a war mongering *hole. Apparently that just happens also to be one of our inherent traints.


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O.k. I’m not hitting neg. or pos. but will reply to this. I agree that we could save all are marbles for last while everyone else runs out of theirs. True. Here is the rub though that I see in doing business that way. Yes it is not all about wars but we (U.S.) kiss a lot of a** . For example with O.P.E.C. We don’t want to bite the hand that feeds us so we put up with a lot of their bullsh*t.


Look at what happened the last time we tried to speak up and not kiss a**. I think it was called the oil embargo of 1974 that led to a LOT of unhappy Americans sitting in lines with odd and even lic. plates on their days to get gas. I was a kid but I remember sitting in the car many a times with the folks back then. WHAT A DISASTER! Of course I also remember pumping gas for the folks at .54 cents a gallon. WOW where did that go?


I for one say lets start using our own oils if we can, while we get our selfs up to speed with emerging technologies like solor, wind and wave. They aren’t quite perfected yet but are getting there. Use this (our oil) in the mean time, get the independance NOW and in the future when we get these other tec. on line. That is just my humble opinion.


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I understand what you’re saying, and you’re right that even without the complications of war, our relationship with OPEC is not always all that desirable. Nonetheless, there may come a day when circumstances are so different that putting up with their b.s. may seem like a walk in the park in comparison. Also, since this is not a renewable resource, it would be nice to be sitting on top of the the last bit of it.


Of course I agree we should get ourselves up to speed with the alternative technologies. But obviously achieving a certain efficiency with those technologies is fairly complex. That means that we have to depend on having the capability for complex manufacturing. Should things ever get so bad that we don’t, it’d be nice to know we still have extensive fossil fuel reserves. Plus there is the obvious benefit of avoiding environmental damage from drilling as long as possible.


It seems like we are being extorted: either we have to accept expansive domestic drilling, or war. I don’t believe these are the only two possible realities.


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BTDT, I quite agree and when adopted it’s all the more reason for the US to develop and fine tune these sustainable alternatives soon than later. You’ve got me thinking about this bogus war that we all got sucked into although you didn’t mention it.


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