OFFSHORE DRILLING

There are eight active oil platforms off the Orange County coast in three oil fields. Below are some facts about local offshore oil and gas drilling.

STATE WATERS

(The state controls drilling in waters within three miles of the coast.) HUNTINGTON BEACH: There are two platforms within the Huntington Beach offshore field. Emmy is operated by Shell and Eva is operated by Unocal. Cumulative production *** 536.0 million barrels of oil and condensate* 303.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas Estimated reserves *** 47.0 million barrels of oil and condensate* 17.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas Below are some yearly production figures:

Category 1987 1986 1985 Number of wells Producing 290 323 308 Shut-in** 203 170 185 Oil & condensate (bbl) 4,042,635 4,918,194 5,755,021 Net gas (Mcf) 1,019,910 1,375,599 1,277,345

BELMONT: There are two platforms within the Belmont offshore field, off Seal Beach. Monterey is operated by Exxon and Esther is operated by Chevron. Cumulative production *** 56.4 million barrels of oil and condensate* 38.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas Estimated reserves *** 12.1 million barrels of oil and condensate* 3.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas Below are some yearly production figures:

Category 1987 1986 1985 Number of wells Producing 27 30 29 Shut-in** 62 83 86 Oil & condensate (bbl) 330,265 500,378 646,508 Net gas (Mcf) 32,859 45,157 64,847

FEDERAL WATERS

(The U.S. Department of the Interior controls drilling more than 3 miles off the coast.) BETA: There are four platforms within the Beta offshore field, about 7 miles off Huntington Beach. Ellen, Elly and Eureka are operated by Shell and Edith is operated by Chevron. Cumulative production ** 33.7 million barrels of oil and condensate* 9.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas Estimated reserves ** 180.6 million barrels of oil and condensate* 12.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas Below are some yearly production figures:

Category 1987 1986 1985 Number of wells Producing 61 56 55 Shut-in** 17 28 31 Oil & condensate (bbl) 6,649,762 2,444,898 6,342,040 Net gas (Mcf) 1,807,400 3,057,527 1,952,742

* Condensate is liquid hydrocarbon, usually produced with oil, which will easily form a gas under pressure.

** Shut-in wells are capable of producing but are not active, generally because of economic conditions (i.e. low oil prices) or mechanical problems.

*** as of Dec. 31, 1987

NOTE: bbl--barrels; Mcf--thousands of cubic feet. Sources: U.S. Department of the Interior, Mineral Management Service; California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil & Gas.