When offshore oil rigs shut down, taxpayers could get stuck with a bill
When offshore oil rigs shut down, taxpayers could get stuck with a bill
While the October oil spill near Huntington Beach is fueling calls to end offshore pumping, operators of aging West Coast wells may be delaying closures in an effort to avoid the huge expenses of plugging and dismantling their rigs, according to industry observers.
The cost of shutting down the 23 platforms that connect to 734 wells in federal waters off the coast of California would run $1.6…