Venoco is broke. (Surprise)
The platform needs management finds. (Surprise)
Oil extraction is over. Use the nearly abandoned oil rig offshore as a giant windmill base. The most expensive part would be the onshore power cable. ($100/ meter for 10+ miles).
Dispense with that expense. Either bottle electrolyzed water (hydrogen) for tankers, or run a simple, weighted funnypipe of ¾” diameter to shore and compress it into liquid state bottles there. Hydrogen fuel sells for about $100/gallon for cars now on sale.
I’d ask the county to pick up this expense (that will pay for itself many times over) or would volunteer to be part of a co-op to do it.
Not only would it provide a way to finance the keeping an eye on the old wells, but also maintain rustproofing, employ some local divers, and provide local, renewable energy.
A $3 milion windmill would pay for itself in 10 years and run indefinitely.