Transitioning from Oil
Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties are rapidly transitioning away from their oil past. Abandoned wells and decomissioned offshore platforms are the legacy of what was at a century ago was a major industry. But today, oil production is a small fraction of the overall economy. Oil drilling, especially using enhanced extraction techniques like steam-injection, is dangerous. It's a threat to the drinking water for hundreds of thousands of resident and to those who live, learn or live near the wells.
Ventura County
Over the past five years, Ventura County enacted strong protections for people from oil operations. They include a 2,500 ft. buffer between wells and schools and a 1,500 ft. buffer between wells and homes, but the oil companies sued and ultimately succeeded in greatly weakening these protections. Sierra Club intervened to help defend Ventura county from oil company lawsuits, and we continue to fight to protect residents health and establish greater regulations on oil drilling.
In Santa Barbara County, onshore expansion efforts in Cat Canyon near the City of Santa Maria has been withdrawn in the face of massive grassroots opposition and a reduction of oil demand. Despite these victories, there is still dangerous onshore drilling taking place there and at sites throughout North County. As in Ventura County, many wells in Santa Barbara have simply been abandoned.
In Santa Barbara Channel, most offshore platforms are being decommissioned. Nevertheless, the proposed restart of three aging platforms along the Gaviota Coast poses a grave threat to the waters and sea life of Santa Barbara Channel. The platforms also pose threats to people, wildlife and water when transporting the oil to far-away refineries.
Santa Barbara County
Offshore oil on the Gaviota Coast
Sable Offshore is a Texas-based newly-formed company seeking to restart three mothballed offshore oil platforms in the Santa Barbara Channel a decade after its corroded onshore pipeline burst despoiling coast. Sable seeks to use the same corroded pipeline that burst in 2015 Refugio disaster.
The three former Exxon offshore platforms have been shut down since the 2015 Plains Pipeline oil spill. Sierra Club and allies defeated efforts by Exxon to truck the oil and plans were withdrawn to build a whole new 123-mile pipeline that would cross three rivers, shallow aquifers and bulldoze 100 foot construction cooridoor the whole way and lock in offshore oil production for decades to come.
Santa Barbara County oil phase out
In October 2025, Santa Barbara County took a critical step toward phasing out fossil fuels. The Board of Supervisors voted (3-2) in favor of an Oil & Gas Phase-Out ordinance, moving the policy to the next phase of implementation planning and timeline. This policy has been years in the making and legislation expected in the Spring of 2026 could finally end new oil and gas permits and enact a responsible phase-out of existing drilling. Thanks to Supervisor Capps, Supervisor Hartmann, and Supervisor Lee for their leadership in protecting community health, our climate, and the sustainability of our economy.
Read: Supervisors Support Phasing Out Oil Production in Santa Barbara County, Noozhawk
In 2020 several oil companies officially withdrew their applications to drill and operate 750+ new wells in the north central portion of the Cat Canyon Oil Field, located just 10 miles from Santa Maria. We continue to fight an "aquifer exemption" request by these oil companies that would allow them to expand drilling in the future.
Not long ago Venoco was seeking to restart drilling on the beach and expand their offshore production. But those applications were denied and the Plains Pipeline oil spill of 2015 caused Venoco to declare bankruptcy. Platform Holly in Goleta will be plugged and removed, as well as infrastructure in Goleta and Carpinteria. Sierra Club endorsed state elected leaders and the State Lands Commission have helped secure funding to look for offshore leaks and remove legacy oil infrastructure. Venoco's platforms on Ellwood beach have finally been plugged and removed.
New Federal Leasing off the California Coast
In Nov. 2025, the Trump Administration announced plans to open up oil leasing in waters off the California Coast. We will fight these efforts as we have in the past.
Sierra Club successfully fought off efforts in the first Trump administration to open up new oil leases in the federal waters off of California and on national public lands. We organized a massive protest when Secretary of the Interior Zinke came to town and when offshore fracking was permitted, including the dumping of oil wastewater back in the ocean.
Santa Barbara County still faces the threat of increased oil extraction. Instead of drilling for more oil, we should focus on building the clean energy economy of the future.