Lieutenant Governor and State Lands Commissioner Eleni Kounalakis Announces Successful Decommissioning of Two Leaking Legacy Oil Wells on California’s Coast 

 

For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Match 18, 2025
Contact: Press@ltg.ca.gov, (916) 445-8994

 

SACRAMENTO, CA — Today, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, alongside the California State Lands Commission and its Contractor, 2H Offshore California, Inc., announced the successful decommissioning of two legacy oil wells at Summerland Beach in Santa Barbara County.  

The two wells, known as Well A and Well B, remnants of unregulated oil development in the late 1800s and early 1900s, were leaking crude oil into California’s coastline until their abandonment was completed last month. Decommissioning these wells marks the seventh and eighth successful well closure in recent years as part of the Commission’s broader effort to address legacy oil infrastructure, keep coastal communities safe from oil pollution, and improve the health of our coastal ecosystems. 

For more information regarding the announcement, visit the California State Lands Commission’s press release here. 

 

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:  

 

Lieutenant Governor and Commissioner Eleni Kounalakis:   

“California’s beautiful, world-renowned coastline is among our most treasured assets and endemic to our identity. As Chair of the State Lands Commission, we are committed to safeguarding our beaches, protecting marine ecosystems, and ensuring that communities like Santa Barbara are safe from the harmful impacts of legacy oil wells. By permanently sealing these leaking wells, we are taking concrete action to uphold our state’s commitment to a clean energy future.” 

 

Principal Engineer for 2H Frank Wilkinson: 

“This project highlights 2H’s expertise in well abandonment and our commitment to safeguarding the California coastline. By securing these wells, our team has helped mitigate environmental risks and supported California’s efforts to address legacy oil infrastructure.” 

 

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:  

The Lieutenant Governor serves on, and rotates with the State Controller, as chair of the three-member State Lands Commission, which oversees the control and leasing of millions of acres of state-owned land, including offshore oil resources, as well as use and permitting for all navigable waterways in California. The Commission also manages state land-use planning and revenues, and related interstate issues. During alternate years, when the Lieutenant Governor serves as Chairperson of the State Lands Commission, she also serves as a member of the California Ocean Protection Council and as a non-voting member of the California Coastal Commission.  

  

ABOUT THE STATE LANDS COMMISSION:  

The Commission, an independent entity comprised of the Lieutenant Governor, State Controller, and the Governor’s Director of Finance, manages over four million acres of land in California. In the past decade, the Commission has moved to the forefront of offshore oil and gas decommissioning and a clean energy future. The Commission recently approved the decommissioning project for Rincon Island offshore Ventura County and, having plugged and abandoned 30 wells on Platform Holly, is preparing to start the environmental review process to decommission the platform, one of four remaining oil and gas platforms in state waters. The Commission is also a trustee agency helping to administer a $22 million dollar Natural Resources Damage Assessment settlement to protect and restore coastal resources damaged in the Refugio Beach spill.