The Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the California State Lands Commission (SLC) jointly sponsored a public workshop in 1997 entitled " Decommissioning and Removal of Oil and Gas Facilities Offshore California: Recent Experiences and Future Deepwater Challenges." Following the workshop, a small group of Federal, State, and local agencies agreed to form an Interagency Decommissioning Working Group (IDWG) to develop an action plan to guide agency efforts in addressing issues identified during the workshop. The IDWG is composed of representatives from the MMS, SLC, California Coastal Commission, California Department of Fish and Game, National Marine Fisheries Service, Ventura County, and Santa Barbara County.

The goals of the Interagency Decommissioning Working Group Action Plan are to develop a process for: (1) addressing decommissioning issues; (2) collecting, disseminating, and sharing information with all interested parties; (3) promoting dialogue and communication among all parties; and (4) improving interagency planning and coordination in advance of future decommissioning projects.

The action plan identifies 28 separate issues that were raised by the workshop participants. The issues have been grouped into five major categories: (1) Technical, (2) Environmental, (3) Disposition, (4) Site Clearance, and (5) Policy. The plan prioritizes issues within each category and designates agency leads for each issue.

The IDWG is currently collecting and organizing information relevant to the issues and working with academia and other parties to address scientific issues that were identified during the workshop. The IDWG is also planning to coordinate and organize a series of small issue-focused forums (seminars, workshops, symposiums) to disseminate information and facilitate dialogue and discussion among all interested parties. For additional information, contact John Smith at (805) 389-7833.

IDWG Action Plan (14 pages) in Adobe .pdf format.