Last week, the Bureau of Land Management ordered E&B Natural Resources of Bakersfield to plug and abandon 11 oil wells in California’s Carrizo Plain national monument.
The wells have reportedly not produced oil in decades. The order comes from the Los Padres Forestwatch and the center for biological diversity suing the BLM in 2020. BLM had approved a permit for a new well and pipeline in the national monumnt’s area, and the lawsuit said the proposal would harm threatened and endangered wildlife, and mar scenic views. The lawsuit also said BLM failed to protect monument resources in managing oil drilling. In addition to plugging the wells, E&B will have to remove pipelines, powerlines, and other infrastructure by 2028.
The well sites are in the Caliente mountains, in the western boundary of Carrizo Plain national monument.
