Biden admin paves way to cease all offshore California fossil fuel drilling operations

The Biden administration issued a federal plan Thursday to remove all remaining oil and gas infrastructure located off the California coast once they stop producing.

The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) published a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for "Oil and Gas Decommissioning Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf." The filing formally recommends a plan ensuring no fossil fuel infrastructure remains off California's coast that could interfere with other offshore operations like navigation and commercial fisheries.

"We completed a robust analysis based on sound science, Tribal consultation, public input, and the best available information," Bruce Hesson, BSEE's Pacific region director, said in a statement. 

"This final PEIS provides BSEE with important guidance on future decommissioning applications for the complete removal and disposal of oil and gas platforms, associated pipelines, and other facilities offshore Southern California," he continued.