Experts will gather at the Aquarium of the Pacific on March 4 for the release of a report on decommissioning offshore oil rigs in California and to discuss issues surrounding them, the Aquarium of the Pacific announced this week.
The report summarizes the proceedings and findings of a forum held at the Aquarium in January. Forum participants included representatives from federal and state agencies responsible for the oil rig decommissioning process, industry experts, and academic scientists.
The Aquarium’s report condenses experts’ presentations on the current status of oil rigs off California’s coast, existing regulations regarding decommissioning, and what actions are needed to allow the state to benefit from all the options, including leaving them in place as reefs. Members of the media are invited to hear from and interview experts to find out the issues surrounding California’s offshore oil rigs and to explore what can be done.
The experts include; John Smith, consultant, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (retired)
Ann Scarborough Bull, researcher, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara Jeremy Claisse, associate professor, Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly Pomona
Dr. Jerry Schubel, president and CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific. The event will be livestreamed on the AOP website, officials said.