Wells Whack-a-Mole

The ongoing drive to seal off defunct wellheads at Summerland Beach and building a collection containment at the “mine” in Toro Canyon contain a similar disconnect. These “leaks” are located at sites that were discovered because the oil naturally seeped out in those places.

Maybe government, in lieu of a former mineral rights owner, is now responsible for these seeps, maybe not. The “whack-a-mole” capping of defunct wellheads that is ongoing at Summerland and the difficulty of the construction in Toro Canyon might point to the unsustainability of such endeavors. The oil seeps and experimental collection attempts near Coal Oil Point and the continued deposition of that seeped oil on our beaches is an example of the futility of such work.

Finally, if government is responsible, they could worry more about getting on with the job rather than resisting revealing the documents (and egg on their face) while spending a cool million doing so. Jeez!