New Rules Would Cap Leaky Wells

Longtime efforts to locate and cap so-called legacy wells — those poorly sealed oil seepers fouling certain Southern California beaches, especially in Summerland — may get a $2 million annual injection. On Thursday, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson introduced SB 900, which would require the State Lands Commission to build an inventory of leaky wells and cap them “once and for all,” she said. The legislation would also require a hard look at coastal hazards, such as abandoned pier pilings, and study whether oil-seepage hotspots stem from natural or manmade sources. There are an estimated 200 abandoned-wells statewide, “nearly all of them” along the Central Coast, mainly in Summerland and Ellwood, Jackson said.