On October 14, 2020, Signal Hill Service, Inc. relinquished its only Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease located off southern California citing the loss of its state-issued pipeline right-of-way. The loss of the pipeline right-of-way resulted in the company’s inability to transport oil and gas resources produced from its two platforms, Hogan and Houchin, to its onshore processing facility, thus resulting in a complete cessation of production and associated revenue. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has called on the former lessees to carry out removal of the existing oil and gas infrastructure on these leases.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) requires financial assurance from record title interest holders to guarantee compliance with lease obligations and regulations associated with the cost of decommissioning offshore oil and gas facilities and associated pipelines in federal waters. Oversight and approval of all decommissioning activities in federal waters falls under the jurisdiction of the BSEE.
Former Signal Hill Service, Inc. assets in federal waters to be decommissioned include two offshore oil and gas facilities, Platforms Hogan and Houchin, off southern California. Offshore pipelines associated with the two platforms will also be decommissioned.
Additional Information
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Decommissioning and Rigs-to-Reefs in the Pacific Region
- A Citizen's Guide to Offshore Oil and Gas Decommissioning in Federal Waters Off California
- Selected BOEM & BSEE-Funded Research Informing Decommissioning Offshore California
- BOEM Decommissioning page
- BSEE Decommissioning page