An increasingly large contingent of Carpinteria residents has
joined the battle against the Paradon Project, Venoco Oil’s
proposal to pump offshore oil and gas via slant drills behind
Carpinteria City Hall and above a harbor seal rookery. The
project’s movable, 175-foot-tall drilling tower would rival UCSB’s
Storke Tower as the tallest structure in the county, according to
opponents. The project would increase the existing facility’s gas
production by 10 times, and would produce an estimated 11,000
barrels of oil daily through the year 2020. Neighbors opposed to
the proposal – including the Carpinteria Valley
Association – foresee noise, air, and visual pollution, and are
concerned about the possibility of leaks or spills and plummeting
property values.
