EXPLORATION 



The Offshore Oil and Gas Operations Office of USGS reports that 

 three applications for exploratory drilling have been approved for 

 the Southern California offshore area. Two are in the San Pedro Bay 

 and one is in the Santa Barbara Channel. Shell Oil Company reported 

 an oil strike in the San Pedro Bay tract OCS-P 2096. Shell plans to 

 drill a series of five to seven wildcat wells to depths of 7,500 feet 

 in 650 feet of water. Other wells are planned for leased tracts Nos. 

 247, 256 and 261. Shell may move to the Tanner Banks area after com- 

 pleting exploration in the San Pedro Bay, and drill in OCS-P 0977 

 (leased tract 114) about 85 miles offshore from Long Beach. ^ SOCAL 

 is also drilling in the San Pedro Bay, using the Cuss I to drill 

 OCS-P 0296 (leased tract 254) to depths of 10,000 feet in 600 feet 

 of water. 



USGS also reports that 13 other applications for drilling in the 

 new lease tracts are now pending, and Sun Oil has submitted an appli- 

 cation to drill exploratory well Number 9 in a tract the firm leased 

 earlier in the Santa Barbara Channel. Texaco is now drilling explora- 

 tory well Number 3 from a drill ship anchored over OCS-P 0234, in the 

 Pitas Point field.^ 



LEASING 



The Bureau of Land Management plans to hold Sale 48 in June, 1979, 

 for Southern California, and has already accepted lease tract nomina- 

 tions and negative nominations from Federal, state, local government 



Q 



agencies, private parties, and the oil industry. Nominations were 



25 



