Oil Project Expected to Get Panel’s Approval : Proposal: Coastal Commission is set to vote on a plan to boost oil recovered from two platforms off Huntington Beach coastline.

The California Coastal Commission is expected to approve Wednesday a project to squeeze more oil from underwater reserves off Huntington Beach, which would increase the potential for damage from a pipeline rupture.

The commission will vote on a plan by Unocal and Shell Oil Co. to nearly triple the amount of oil recovered daily from two existing offshore platforms.

If approved, the two companies will begin next year injecting water into the ocean floor to force out more oil from the fields surrounding Platform Eva and Emmy, about two miles off the Huntington Beach coastline.

Commission staff members said they expected quick approval of the plan.

“This is not something that’s been considered very controversial,” said Alison Dettmer, a commission analyst who prepared the report on the project. “It’s a proven technology.”

The procedure, known as water flood recovery, will increase oil production by 45 million barrels during the 30-year life of the structures, according to a commission study recommending the project’s approval.

The procedure presents no greater risk of a pipeline rupture. But the increased flow means that in the event of a pipeline break, the amount of oil spilled could be greater.

“There’s going to be more oil going through the pipeline and onto the shore than before,” Dettmer said. “If there’s an accident, there could be a lot more oil released into the marine environment than there is now.”

In a worst-case scenario, for example, a break in the pipeline leading from platform Eva to the Unocal facility in Huntington Beach could send more than 48,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean, the report states. Today, the most that could spill is 8,400 gallons.

In comparison, the rupture of the oil tanker American Trader in February, 1990, caused more than 400,000 gallons of oil to pour into the ocean about 1.3 miles off the Huntington Beach shoreline.

News of the proposal drew a mixed reaction from environmental groups, many of whom cautiously approved of the project as long as the companies followed proper safety procedures.

“We all want adequate precautions to be included in the approval,” said Terry Dolton, president of Amigos de Bolsa Chica. “They should be in a position to respond quickly” if there is an accident.

Other groups, however, were more critical.

“We’re opposed to it on the basis that it represents an expansion of offshore oil drilling,” said Gordon Labedz, a spokesman for Surfrider Foundation. “The more you do an industrial activity in a pristine area, the more chance you’re going to have an accident.”

Oil company officials downplayed the risk of such an incident, citing the routine nature of the procedure and the safeguards in place.

“We will do this in a safe and environmentally responsible manner,” said Unocal spokeswoman Janet McClintock. “This is an extremely common procedure that’s been used for many years.”

Dettmer pointed out that the platforms are already in place and that new construction will be very limited.

The two platforms each produce about 1,500 barrels of oil a day. Under the proposed plan, platform Emmy, owned by Shell, will generate 5,000 barrels per day and platform Eva, owned by Unocal, will turn out 4,200 barrels per day.

“What they’re proposing to do in the way of development activity isn’t that extreme,” she said.

Shell officials said their company has had a similar--though less extensive--recovery process in place for 15 years on Platform Emmy without incident.

“Any increased risk of a spill is quite small in as much as we’ve been doing this successfully for a number of years,” said Bill Gibson, a Shell spokesman.

He said the last time a pipeline ruptured at Platform Emmy was in 1989, when a ship’s anchor ripped open an inactive line and about 10 gallons of oil leaked out as a result.

More Oil

Different method could nearly triple production but would increase amount of oil spilled if pipeline ruptured.