According to the LA Times and other reporting, the Dept. of Commerce (NOAA) 92-page draft review of California’s federally approved (1978) Coastal Management Program finds:
A “pattern of jurisdictional and regulatory overreach.”
“Unjustified hostility and political bias against offshore drilling opportunities, oil and gas projects broadly, and SpaceX’s launch activities.”
Among the corrective actions specified:
Meeting with SpaceX to discuss concerns about political bias and productive next steps.
Discussions with Sable Offshore Corp. regarding regulatory burden/overreach related to restarting offshore operations off the Santa Barbara coast.
Issuance of an official statement (by January, per reports) pledging that California will not categorically oppose initiatives related to certain industries (e.g., oil and gas) or activities (e.g., offshore drilling).
Future federal funding for the state’s coastal management program is described as suspended “unless and until the identified deficiencies are satisfactorily addressed.” State agencies were given a response deadline (initially around mid-November 2026; extension requested).
Legal, political, and administrative fireworks are sure to follow!
Supports the farm-out process by providing potential farm-in partners clarity on the execution pathway for a future exploration campaign
Identifies a double-digit pool of suitable available rigs all assessed against capability, timing and regional positioning
Affirms that the key Colibri target well (406 MMbo) and the deeper-water Thunderball follow-on (603 MMbo) could be targeted in a single exploration campaign
Identifies a Jamaica-based logistics model that combines local port infrastructure and services with specialist regional offshore services
Borr Drilling confirmed that, at 20:37 local time on October 24, 2026, the Prospector 5 jack-up drilling rig collapsed and sank while conducting jacking operations offshore Gabon. The rig wass contracted to support BW Energy’s drilling operations.
Preliminary information indicates that the rig experienced a punch-through event during preload activities, resulting in loss of stability and the subsequent sinking of the rig.
At the time of the incident, there were 115 personnel onboard the rig. Five individuals remain unaccounted for, with search and rescue operations ongoing.
Bruno Morand CEO of Borr Drilling: “We are deeply concerned for those who remain unaccounted for and everyone affected by this incident. Our immediate priority is supporting the ongoing search and rescue efforts and the welfare of all personnel involved.”
Chevron is marketing its share in several Gulf of Mexico facilities, including Petronius, the 2100′ compliant tower which was initially installed by Texaco in 2000.
Petronius and Baldpate (supportively named for those of us who are follicly challenged 😉) are the Gulf’s only compliant towers – freestanding structures that sway up to 2% of their height to safely absorb ocean forces.
Also on the market are Chevron’s interest in Tubular Bells, a floating spar platform in 4300′ of water, and Llano, a subsea development tied back to Shell’s Auger tension leg platform.
Tubular Bells spar was installed by Hess in 4300′ and began production in 2014.
Jackdaw “will start to supply gas to British homes and businesses from as early as the end of this month, helping heat millions of homes and protecting hundreds of jobs”
Chancellor John Healey says a new “Energy Wealth Fund”, using tax revenue from oil and gas extraction, will invest in “green transition” (but of course!😉🙃)
Two lease areas for bid as identified in the map above
Sale date: Thursday, November 19, 2026
20 year primary lease term
Oral auction bidding to be livestreamed at boem.gov
Minimum Bonus Bid Amount: $3,000,000 for each lease area
Royalty: 2% on all mineral production during the first five years of production, 5% on production in years 6+
Rental rates:
Yesterday, EarthJustice, representing a council of matai (chiefs or leaders) from American Samoa’s Manu‘a Islands, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Hawaii seeking to block the lease sale.
Capt. David Bacon is a boating safety consultant and expert witness, with a background in high-tech industries and charter boat ownership and operation. He teaches classes forSanta Barbara City Collegeand, with a lifelong interest in wildlife, writes outdoors columns forNoozhawkand other publications.
I believe those oil rigs offshore create, attract and sustain more life than all of our radical enviro orgs crying, “The sky is falling and the world is being destroyed, so send us your money” can ever hope to accomplish.
Our ocean and seagoing critters lost big-time when the four inshore rigs off Padero Lane and Carpinteria were removed some years back. They were taken down to the ground, and all that was left were mounds of mussel shells.
Let’s not repeat that massive forced die-off by removing any more oil rigs.
There was argument about whether our oil rigs attracted or produced life. That argument is long over. They do both.
The structure above the waterline serves pinnipeds and birds, which feed on the life below. Our rigs support a wide-ranging variety of sea life.
When I look at the rigs from a close-up and personal perspective while I fish near them, I see the obvious. They are massive life generators and supporters, leading me to call them our Rigs of Life.
We also need to keep our oil rig structures even after we decommission them, because to have abundant sea life, we need to create and maintain more supporting habitat.
For those of us who agree with the Captain that these structures have great value to society, the main questions are:
How do we maintain valuable offshore structures after the production of oil and gas ceases?
Who bears responsibility for their ultimate decommissioning? Is there a liability regime in place for any structure that remains?
Who manages the post-production uses of the platform which could include oceanographic, biological, and alternative energy research, national security and space applications, communications, weather observations, and much more?
Is there a business plan that works for the companies responsible for decommissioning and platform users, while also protecting taxpayers from liabilities?
One approach would be for the lessees responsible for decommissioning to retain that obligation and continue to maintain the structures in accordance with Federal regulations. This assumes the financial benefits from deferring decommissioning are sufficient to justify such a commitment. This could be a flawed assumption in some (most?) cases.
Alternatively, for companies that would prefer to be relieved of decommissioning obligations, John Smith’s proposal would allow qualified 3rd parties to accept title and liability for the structures. A company, consortium, nonprofit, or entrepreneur could, for a fee, acquire the structures and obtain insurance or other financial protection in accordance with their business plan.
The best way to preserve the reef environment is to extend the life of the platform for post-production activities. Can we make this work?
JL Daeschler, North Sea pioneer and BOE contributor, met this week with Jim Fraser, an Aberdonian PhD Researcher working at the University of Edinburgh.
Jim is investigating how North Sea oil and gas has transformed social and cultural life in Aberdeen, and what the future holds for the region considering the current uncertainty within the North Sea industry. Who better to learn from than JL, an important figure in North Sea oil and gas development?
Our best to Jim as he pursues this important research.
MMA discontinues daily hurricane activity reports when <10% of production is shut-in. Yesterday, oil production reached that threshold (9.92% shut-in) and gas fell just short (11.07% shut-in), so it is assumed there will be no further production updates for Isaias.
