Some old oil wells which are in a national monument in the Tri-Counties are going to be permanently plugged, and abandoned.
The 11 wells are in the Carrizo Plain National Monument, which is in southeastern San Luis Obispo County. They haven’t been active for years.
The Bureau of Land Management has a policy of reviewing idle wells. Companies are required to show they are still capable of production, or to submit plans to permanently plug and abandon them. In 2021, the owner, E & B Natural Resources, submitted a plan to the BLM to plug and abandon the wells, as well as to restore the habitat. This week, the BLM notified the Bakersfield company it has approved the proposal.
The company has five years to complete the process. Officials with the environmental group Los Padres ForestWatch are calling the action a big step towards restoring the landscape in the national monument.
