Reduce Seeps and Methane

Statements by Nick Welsh in the Angry Poodle Barbecue this past week deserve emphasis. Here’s what Nick said: “What makes Venoco’s current proposal genuinely intriguing … are company claims that by drilling 3,000 feet below the ocean floor into these adjacent reserves, it can reduce the subsurface pressure giving rise to one of the biggest natural seeps in the United States … [A]ccording to three UCSB geologists with whom I’ve recently communicated … this theory might actually apply by Platform Holly…. [D]rilling in that area could reduce seep volumes.”

I agree with Nick. Notwithstanding sentiments to the contrary — particularly in light of the recent Plains All American Pipeline tragedy — it would make environmental sense for the State Lands Commission to approve the Venoco lease line adjustment that would reduce seeps of fossil fuels, especially methane, into the Santa Barbara Channel.