Chevron Told to Study Removing Ocean Debris

The Coastal Commission ordered Chevron to study how to remove four underwater mounds of shells offshore, the debris from 40 years of oil development.

The mounds--200 feet across and 25 feet high--are made up of barnacles and mussels trimmed from the legs of oil platforms off Carpinteria and Summerland. The platforms were removed in 1996.

Chevron’s permit requires that the ocean floor at the abandoned sites be accessible to trawlers, but studies show that fishermen avoid the area because their nets are easily snagged by the shells. The mounds also contain heavy metals and hydrocarbons in relatively high concentrations.