August 29, 2024 Meeting Highlights

The Executive Officer announced that Grace Kato, who has served as Commission staff for over 20 years, will be the new Assistant Executive Officer following the retirement of our current Assistant Executive, Officer Colin Connor. Staff gave a presentation about the status of the Tijuana River Transboundary pollution crisis-a precursor to a more robust and comprehensive update planned for the Commission's October 17 meeting in the San Diego area. The Staff Reports supporting the Commission's actions and the Executive Officer's Reportwith updates on an array of activities contain more in-depth information.

Summary

The Commission issued a permit that will allow the Port of Long Beach to obtain shallow seafloor samples to facilitate its Pier Wind Terminal Project. The seafloor sampling will be conducted off Seal Beach and Long Beach in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The Commission certified a Final Environmental Impact Report, adopted a Mitigation Monitoring Program and Statement of Findings, and authorized the Rincon Island, Onshore Facility (Option 2), and onshore pipeline connections components of the Rincon Phase 2 Decommissioning Project. This is a major milestone that the Commission has been working toward since the previous oil and gas operator filed for bankruptcy in 2016. Robust public engagement was a mainstay and foundational from the inception of this undertaking to its culmination in today's action. The decommissioning project authorized today consists of removing surface facilities on Rincon Island, remediating soils, and decommissioning the nearby onshore facility and onshore pipeline connections. Further agency approvals and funding are required to implement the project.

The Commission and the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation committed to pursue a co-management framework for land formerly used for offshore oil and gas development. This first-of-its-kind agreement memorializes the Commission's intent to partner with the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation to support shared land stewardship and California's commitment to conserve 30 percent of the state's lands and coastal waters by 2030 (known as the 30×30 initiative). Rincon Island in Ventura County sits a half mile out from one of California's most beautiful coastlines and, until 2016, was home to a working oil and gas operation. A causeway that arcs over the ocean connects the island to the shore. The agreement signed today memorializes the intent and commitment to partner on a framework and agreement to co-manage and co-steward Rincon Island and a 6-acre onshore parcel along Pacific Coast Highway that was part of the former oil and gas operations.

The Commission approved updated benchmarks for sovereign land in the Mare Island Strait adjacent to Sandy Beach Road. Benchmarks establish uniform rental rates in geographic regions with large concentrations of similar facilities and assure that the people of California are compensated for the use and occupation of state-owned land. The benchmarks the Commission approved, called category two rental rates, apply to non-water dependent uses such as protective structures, cantilevered decks, and sundecks. Category one rates, which were not part of today's action, apply to water-dependent uses such as docks, piers, and buoys. The Commission typically updates its benchmark rental rates every five years.

Staff briefed the Commission about the Platform Holly decommissioning project it is leading and reported that all 30 of the platform wells have been plugged and abandoned-a major milestone in California's efforts to transition to a clean energy future. Staff will start the California Environmental Quality Act process soon to inform a proposed project to decommission Platform Holly. The Commission has marshaled its resources since 2017, when the former operator filed for bankruptcy and relinquished its leases, to eliminate health and safety risks emanating from Platform Holly and to prepare to decommission the offshore platform, one of four remaining platforms offshore California. The Commission has safeguarded public and environmental safety in the face of serious risk, decommissioned derelict oil piers, maintained transparent and interactive community engagement, built a collaborative interagency network, negotiated settlements, and fended off spurious legal suits while pursuing valid claims in courtrooms across the country-all with success.

The Commission continued its leadership cleaning up California's waterways by authorizing staff to remove and dispose of two abandoned and derelict commercial vessels in the Delta. These vessels are a high priority for removal because of their location, condition, suspected or known pollutants, and hazards.

The Commission issued a geothermal lease to the Geysers Power Company to continue geothermal production. The lease involves about 241 acres of school land in Sonoma County and includes a minimum annual royalty revenue of just over $12,000, with the revenue going to the State Teachers' Retirement System to benefit retired teachers.

Future Meetings and Ways to Stay Informed

The Commission's next meeting will be on October 17 in the San Diego area. You can sign up to receive updates about future meetings or follow us on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. You can watch a webcast of the August meeting and past meetings on Cal-Span.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.