After about six years of permitting and paperwork, Chevron is in the process of decommissioning the Carpinteria Processing Facility, which has been standing since the 1960s. Over the course of about three years, the inactive oil and gas infrastructure will be removed, and the land will be restored to a residential standard.
Originally, the facility received oil from platforms Hilda, Hazel, Hope, and Heidi (all decommissioned in 1996). In 1988, when Venoco acquired the leases, the plant also received oil from platforms Grace (decommissioned 1998) and Gail (currently plugged and abandoned). The plant once processed 4,602 barrels of oil and 3,700 thousand standard cubic feet of gas per day, according to the City of Carpinteria.
After 2015’s Refugio Oil Spill effectively shut down offshore oil production across Santa Barbara County, Venoco gave up their leases in 2017 and subsequently declared bankruptcy, leading Chevron to take back ownership of the property. In 2019, Chevron submitted their first draft application for decommissioning to the City of Carpinteria and got the go-ahead in January 2026 to start taking apart the facility.