Platform Esther was first built in 1965 and is located 1.5 miles off the coast of Seal Beach. It was rebuilt in the ’80s after sustaining major damage from a winter storm in 1983. Production officially ceased in August 2025.
New leases for oil drilling off the coast haven’t been approved since 1984, and past Republican presidents have worked with Democrats in protecting California’s waters from drilling.
But conservation efforts have faced new threats under the current and past Trump administrations, which recently revealed a proposal to dramatically ramp up oil drilling off California’s coast to increase the country’s energy independence.
That plan will likely meet a barrage of obstacles in the form of local and state environmental regulations, with officials already expressing strong opposition.
But those looming threats weren’t enough to dampen the enthusiasm at Platform Esther’s retirement party.
“It’s really great to see agencies like the State Lands Commission taking bold steps like this to shut down oil operations in state waters,” said Brady Bradshaw, a senior oceans campaigner with the Center. “We’re hoping to see the state continue to fight against proposals like what’s coming with the Trump administration.”
