California Offshore Oil & Gas Platform Decommissioning Project (2008)

In early 2008, CONCUR successfully completed a project for the California Resources Agency to create a comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) to examine the major issues associated with decommissioning the State’s 27 offshore oil and gas platforms. Working closely with the office of the Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy and his staff, the CONCUR team first reviewed existing and ongoing research related to mineral resource development in the offshore areas of the Southern California Bight (i.e., fisheries, water quality, oceanography, socioeconomic issues, etc.), as well as pertinent federal and state coastal management policy and legislation. CONCUR also conducted confidential interviews with a cross-section of key stakeholders and scientists to help prepare for the workshop. CONCUR used the results of this background research and interviews, in turn, to organize and facilitate two workshops: one for ocean and coastal policy stakeholders; and a second for expert scientists, including the members of the Inter-Agency Decommissioning Working Group.

CONCUR prepared a Workshop Summary for the facilitated workshops that highlighted the key information needs raised by stakeholders and scientists. CONCUR used this information to develop a Scope of Work for a study to be commissioned by the Resources Agency. The study will compile all available information needed to inform future policy discussions about the strengths and drawbacks a range of decommissioning alternatives. The economic, environmental and financial stakes of this decision making process are significant. Estimates of the cost to fully remove these platforms range from $1-2 billion. The final work product delivered by CONCUR was a comprehensive RFP to guide the selection of a consultant to address the identified information needs. The aim of the study, in turn, is to support well-reasoned deliberation on policy alternatives.