News Release

Channel Islands National Park Receives Funding to Restore Well Site

News Release Date: June 10, 2022

Contact: Mark Hnat, 805-658-5717

Channel Islands National Park has received $1.43 million to remove and remediate a derelict well site near Scorpion Ranch on Santa Cruz Island. The funding includes removing the dilapidated infrastructure and associated debris, as well as sealing and restoring the site.   

This funding is a portion of the approximately $9.8 million The National Park Service received from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to plug, remediate, and reclaim abandoned oil and gas well sites in seven national parks. Overall, bureaus within the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture will address 277 high-priority wells that pose threats to human health and safety, the climate, wildlife, and natural resources.

“Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enables us to tackle legacy pollution issues caused by past extraction activities in national parks,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “Closing and reclaiming abandoned oil and gas wells will alleviate these environmental hazards that jeopardize health and safety by contaminating groundwater, emitting noxious gases, and littering the landscape.”  

Additional information on other NPS projects funded through this legislation can be found at https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1207/bil-wells-2022.htm