VC Oil & Gas Report: 5 Current Pending Applications

The following projects are currently pending at the Ventura County Planning Office as of Jan. 21, 2014: 
All info is obtained from the County Planning website. Emphasis has been added. Quick summary is written by VCInFocus all other information is quoted directly from pending applications as reported by VC Planning Department. 
http://www.ventura.org/rma/planning/pdf/projects-pending-approved/jan2014_pending.pdf



1)VENOCO PROJECT: PL13-0016 located at 1815 Harbor Blvd. Ventura, application submitted 2/8/13
Project Description: 1380080075
Applicant: Bruce Carter / County Planner: Jay Dobrowalski 805-654-2498
Quick Summary: Re-enter 2 existing wells, and drill 3 new wells. With plans to plug & abandon 3 wells that are currently idle. Proposed for oil field area along ocean shores. Potable water as needed will be trucked to the site. Note: Many well locations onshore may be directionally drilled to offshore/undersea locations, no disclosure requirements.
Permit Adjustment to CUP 12, which was recently modified via LU10-0009, is a proposal by Venoco, Inc. (Venoco) to re-enter 2 existing wellbores (DOGGR Well Numbers 1212 and 1214A) to access oil reservoirs in State 3314 Lease from Ventura County’s CUP 12 Permit Area and drill 3 new wells in exchange for the plugging and abandoning three idle wells (DOGGR Well Numbers 1112, 1114, 1215A). The drilling locations are located on the west side of McGrath Lake, in an area of several active wells arranged in a roughly north-south linear array. This area is bounded by oil field facilities (including the Lease 735 Tank Setting) and Harbor Blvd. to the east; open space and McGrath State Park to the north; open space, dunes, beach and the Pacific Ocean to the west; and oil field wells and facilities to the south. Access is via a partially paved private road from Harbor Blvd. Potable water will be brought onsite for workers during the drilling operations as well as portable toilets. Temporary trailers for the the drilling supervisor and workers are proposed to be onsite while the temporary drilling is taking place. If the drilling is permitted operations would occur 24 hours a day for approximately 60 days per well.

The following is from the Executive Summary of the project description as provided by Venoco, Inc.:

Venoco, Inc. (Venoco) is the Operator of the West Montalvo Field, including State Tidelands Lease PRC 3314, with surface facilities in the beach lease area of CUP 12, located west of Harbor Blvd. Venoco proposes to continue the previously approved development plan for State PRC 3314 by re-entering two existing wellbore bottomhole locations (1212 and 1214A), and drilling three new wells (12XX, 12XY, and 12XZ – actual names tbd by DOGGR) in exchange for the plugging and abandoning of three idle wells (1112, 1114, 1215A). The new wells would be drilled in the already existing beach lease development area. 

2) DCOR PROJECT: PL 13-0046, submitted 4/3/2013 / status = environmental doc. prep. 
Applicant: Andrew Prestridge of Bearing Resources and DCOR / County Planner: Jay Dobrowalski 805-654-2498
Quick Summary: Major Modification to CUP: drilling of 3 new "test" wells in areas with existing pads. Temporary production facilities will be set up, and a "production fluids pipeline" installed between pads. 
Major Modification to CUP LU08-0100 for exploratory oil drilling operation.The project is a request for a Major Modification to Conditional Use Permit LU08-0100, which involves the drilling of three test oil wells at two existing sites to determine the commercial viability of reactivating the Modelo Area of the Piru Oil Field. The project involves two existing well pads; 1) an upper one (1) acre pad that was the location of former Well Crocker 1-D where one new well will be drilled and, 2) a lower one and a half (1.5) acre pad that was the location of former Well Crocker Fee 16 where two new wells will be drilled and temporary production facilities will be set. A production fluids pipeline will run from the upper pad to the lower pad. This Modification request is for expansion of the lower pad only, by approximately 3,000 square feet for pad area (total of 8,361 sf) and approximately double the grading limit area (total of 20,246 sf). No other changes to the previously reviewed and approved permit and plans will occur. Additionally, no exploratory drilling or operational changes are proposed as part of this Modification.

Ventura County granted a Conditional Use Permit LU08-0100 for this project on March 1, 2012. On December 10, 2012, DCOR submitted a revised lower pad grading plan to Ventura County, and a revised Biological Assessment Report was submitted on December 14, 2012 (updated on February 13, 2013) to evaluate the impacts of the proposed change. The original lower pad Grading Plan proposed a level pad that consists of cut and fill operations and construction of a 1:1 gradient cut slope to a maximum height of approximately 33 feet. The grading plan was revised to minimize the height of the 1:1 gradient cut slope to approximately seven feet. The dimensions of the pad site have been changed from 70.7’ X 171.0’ (original expanded proposal) to 51.8’ X 161.5’ (revised proposal). The revised grading plan will require some native vegetation to be removed in previously disturbed areas.

Access Roads – The existing maintained dirt access road from Piru Canyon to Modelo Canyon is 12 feet wide. This access is required to be graded and improved to a minimum of 20 feet wide. This impact has already been analyzed as part of the original project approval.

3) Booher Consulting Project: PL13-0122 / submitted 8/02/13 / status = Environmental doc prep / 
Quick Summary: 12 new oil and gas "exploratory" well on 4 existing pads near Tapo Canyon. 
Any water needed will be trucked in. 
Applicant: Bob Booher (Robert Booher Consulting) / County PLanner: Becky Linder - 805-654-2469
Condtional Use Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration to entitle the drilling of 12 oil and gas exploratory wells on a 4 existing well pads on a site that is approximately 4.8 miles north of the Highway 118 and Tapo Canyon Road intersection above Tapo Canyon Park at the terminus of the improved portion of Tapo Canyon Road. The project is located on a 447.25 acre parcel within the AE-40 Zone District and the Open Space General Plan land use designation (APN 615-0-060-195) which is part of a larger land holding commonly known as Big Sky Ranch. Access to the pads is provided by an existing dirt roads off of Tapo Canyon Road with secondary access provided by the Salt Creek Fire Road. Three of the four well pads will be improved to accommodate the drilling rigs: Pad "2X alt." is proposed to be 33,600 square feet and requires 3,000 cubic yard cuts and 2,525 cubic yards of fill; Pad "5x" is proposed to be 36,259 sq. ft. and will require 6,480 cubic yards of cut and 5,600 cubic yards of fill; and Pad "16" is proposed to be 20,570 sq. ft. and will require 7,000 cubic yards of cut and 7,000 cubic yards of fill. Pad "15" will not require additional grading and will be utilized in its current size and configuration. Three new oil wells and an emergency flare are proposed to be located on Pad "2X-alt". Three new oil wells and an emergency flare are proposed for Pad "15." Four new oil wells, 3 oil stock tanks, a flow treater, 1,000 bbl produced water tank, a L.A.C.T. unit, a tranfer pump, a containment berm around the tanks, and an emergency flare are proposed to be located on Pad "5X." All of the wells would be connected by a flow line leading from the wells to the tanks located on Pad "5X." Any water necessary for proposed use would be trucked in.


4) Vintage/Oxy Project: PL13-0150 / submitted 10/10/2013 / status = Completeness review in process
Applicant: Jim Robinson (Vintage/Oxy) / County Planner: Jay Dobrowalski 805-654-2498
Quick Summary: Renewal of CUP for another 30 years on a parcel located near Thomas Aquinas College in Upper Ojai/Above Santa Paula. Includes a request to  allow a previously approved 18 wells, which have not yet been drilled, and whose approval expired on Oct. 29, 2011. Applicant requests that the CUP continue to include those 18 wells for the life of the CUP, which if renewed will be Feb. 7, 2045. All wells would be drilled on existing sites. "Vintage will not use hydraulic fracturing for the undrilled wells unless and until regulations addressing potential hydraulic fracturing impacts are adopted and in place. "

Minor Modification to Conditional Use Permit 3344 (CUP) entails renewal of the CUP with the current boundary and current operations, including the existing wells operations, for another 30 years for a site located north of Thomas Aquinas College. The majority of the project area is within the Open Space 160 acre minimum Zone District and the Open Space General Plan land use designation though a smaller portion of the project area is within the Agricultural 40 acre minimum Zone District and Agricultural General Plan land use designation. The modification also includes the renewal of the term for drilling, testing, production and maintenance of 18 previously approved wells as illustrated on the project plans. Drilling period for the remaining approved 18 wells which expired on October 29, 2011 is requested to be extended for the same time period as the CUP, to Feb 7, 2045.

All of the undrilled wells will be drilled on the existing four Drill Sites, as approved. No new grading or removal of vegetation outside of the existing Drill Sites is required to effectuate the proposed modifications.

Vintage will not use hydraulic fracturing for the undrilled wells unless and until regulations addressing potential hydraulic fracturing impacts are adopted and in place.

Gross production from the existing wells is transported out of the CUP boundary via existing pipelines and seperated and stored off site. It is anticipated that these existing pipelines will be sufficient to accommodate production from the remaining approved 18 wells for transportation of produced fluids off the CUP boundary. Thus no new pipelines leading off the CUP are proposed. The installation of pumping units, gathering lines, electrical connections and ancillary equipment will be necessary to operate the remaining wells.

Access to the project site is provided by a private gated all weather surface driveway that forks off of the common drive that leads to Thomas Aquinas College at 10,000 Ojai Santa Paula Road (HWY 150).

Additional project details have been provided by the Permittee in the application package.

5) Mirada Project: PL13-0158 / submitted 11/06/13 / status = awaiting resubmittal
Applicant: Scott Price, Mirada / County Planner: Kristina Boero 805-654-2467
Quick Summary: Request to extend existing CUP for an additional 25 years and to allow 3 new wells and one re-drill over the next 10 years.  The applicant seeks permission to use Koenigstein Road in Upper Ojai for access.  "Mirada is not planning any hydraulic fracturing to the new wells or the re-drill at this time.  we will come back to the County for additional permitting, should the need for hf arise in the future."


Minor Modification to Conditional Use Permit 3543 to extend the CUP for an additional 25 years, and to expand the CUP to include the drilling of three additional wells and one re-drill, to be completed over the course of the next ten years.

No other change is needed in the CUP, except for adressing access. The current CUP allows access over the “alternate” route that used to extend from about one mile up Koenigstein Road to Highway 150. That alternate route washed out many years ago, and all traffic will have to utilize Koenigstein Road to access Highway 150. Koenigstein is a public road, leading to Highway 150, also a public road. The road to the well pad is private, but is contained entirely within land owned by the Applicant, and is lightly gravelled.

A noise study was completed to address the drilling of the new wells which includes proposed noise mitigations. Those mitigations should be considered part of the project description.

Mirada is not planning any hydraulic fracturing to the new wells or the re-drill at this time. Much will depend on the development of the wells and analysis of the geology, something that cannot be predicted with reasonable certainty at this time. Therefore, we will come back to the County for additional permitting, should the need for hf arise in the future.

All pending projects as of Jan 21, 2014.  

Vintage facility on Topa Vista Road in Upper Ojai, CA, taken fall 2013.