WHAT'S NEXT
The state of California must now decide what to do with Platform Holly, a decommissioned oil rig off the coast of Santa Barbara.
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The future remains uncertain.
Will it stick to decades-old contracts and make Holly’s original owner, ExxonMobil, pay for full removal? Or will the state instead hold the company accountable for maintaining Holly to keep the below artificial reef intact?
A phantom pirate ship during the day and a Christmas tree lit up at night,
a retired oil rig rises from the horizon of Santa Barbara, California.
Q&A
The California State Lands Commission's Sheri Pemberton walks through next steps for the state now that the wells below Holly are sealed and can no longer emit pollutants.
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What happens after the wells are plugged?
When that’s finished the next phase is the environmental review phase as part of our California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance. That’s a key step in determining or assessing the environmental implications of what might come of the platform ranging from full removal, partial removal, or something else that’s yet to be identified. But we’re not there yet, that environmental review process will probably start towards the end of this year.
What will environmental review entail?
It's a very robust comprehensive public process that will be the avenue by which a realm of different organizations and interests will tell us their perspective on what will come of Platform Holly. As part of that environmental review document we’ll do a full assessment of all of the environmental implications. It will be fully supported and informed by science and community engagement and studies.
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What do you foresee as the future for Holly?
It is very hard to speculate. All of that will come to light when we initiate the environmental review process.
The environmental impact report is projected to come out in 2025.
But ExxonMobil must write the check, regardless of the decided outcome for Holly.
For now, Santa Barbara must await the platform's fate as Holly stays put.
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