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45-429: The Carpinteria field is one of the only fields offshore California to straddle the line between state and federal waters. The portion of the field in state waters was abandoned in 1996 with the dismantling of the two platforms operated by Chevron. The oil field is one of many discovered in the 1960s and 1970s underneath the ocean bottom offshore of Southern California. Most of the field is in relatively shallow water, with

90-573: A common law trademark of Unocal.com, which redirects to the Chevron webpage. In April 2005, the United States oil company Chevron made an offer to acquire Unocal for US$ 16.6 billion, which was followed, after the companies had agreed to the transaction, by a competing unsolicited bid from the Chinese firm CNOOC Limited of US$ 18.5 billion on June 22. The final Chevron offer of $ 17.9 billion

135-585: A fifty-six acre site in Kandahar, not far from bin Laden's compounds. ... Gouttiere traveled in and out of Afghanistan and met with Taliban leaders. ... In December 1997 Gouttiere worked with Miller to arrange for another Taliban delegation to visit the United States. ... Unocal seems to have had a deeper role. Intelligence " whistleblower " Julie Sirrs claimed that anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Shah Massoud told her he had "proof that Unocal had provided money that helped

180-498: A long layer cake slightly warped up along its long axis. Oil has pooled at the top of the anticlinal fold for each unit. A fault underneath this large interbedded sand unit has allowed the formation of yet another producing formation, called the Subthrust Pico; in this unit oil has pooled up against the fault, which has positioned impermeable units on top of porous, oil-bearing sand strata turned on their side. Average depth to

225-459: A more convoluted history. The federal government awarded the lease to Sunray DX on April 1, 1968, but their successor (Sun Oil Co.) did not install Platform Henry until August 31, 1979. The platform passed over to Unocal in 1990, and then to Torch Energy in 1996. Torch sold to Nuevo Energy in 1997, and when Plains Exploration & Production acquired Nuevo in 2004 the platform became one of several operated by Plains. Plains sold their operations on

270-707: A need to cut costs in addition to regional instability. Unocal was also the third-largest member of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea . Unocal entered the Indonesian market in 1961. Under the leadership of Henry L. Brandon (VP of International Development), Union Oil was the first US oil company to sign a production sharing agreement (contract of work) with President Suharto . Union Oil

315-545: A speech on Indonesian Independence Day in August 1961, then president Sukarno talked at some length about "production sharing", which included language written into the contract by Union executives. The company expanded to national status in 1965, when Union Oil merged with the Pure Oil Company, headquartered in what was then Palatine, Illinois , and now Schaumburg, Illinois . Over the next two decades, Union became

360-458: A strange sheen on the ocean surface, and dead seals and sea lions began washing up onto the beach. Although Unocal denied having any problems, records discovered by state fish and game officers disclosed that Unocal had long been aware of the leaks. Unocal has been actively cleaning up the site since the mid-90s, receiving praise from the Sierra Club for their habitat restoration work. In

405-619: Is a California Historical Landmark and museum. About 1910, Union Oil made a strategic alliance with the Independent Producers Agency, a group of small oil producers, to build pipelines from the Kern County oil fields to Union Oil facilities on the Pacific coast. This gave the independent producers an alternative to what they perceived as the low prices paid by Standard Oil and the high freight rates charged by

450-453: Is controlled by P.D.V.S.A. In 1997, Unocal sold its western United States refining and marketing operations to Tosco Corporation , including the rights to the Union 76 brand for refining and marketing (except in states where Uno-Ven operated). Tosco was later acquired by Phillips Petroleum , which later merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips . As of February 2024, Chevron still maintains

495-459: Is no longer an operating station, but the building continues to stand, serving as an event space. The 76 logo is often seen in other Major League Baseball and National Football League stadiums on the west coast. In 1969, a blowout on the ocean bottom near Union Oil's Platform "A" on the Dos Cuadras field leaked between 80,000 and 100,000 barrels (16,000 m ) of oil into the water of

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540-451: Is the third published book by author Mitch Cullin , and is the third installment of the writer's Texas Trilogy that also includes the coming-of-age novel Whompyjawed and the novel-in- verse Branches . The story is a first-person narrative told by the young Jeliza-Rose, detailing the summer she spent alone at an isolated, rundown farmhouse in Texas called What Rocks. With only

585-514: The Indian Ocean , at a time after the Taliban siege of Kabul in 1996. On August 10, 2005, Unocal merged its entire upstream petroleum business with Chevron and became a wholly-owned subsidiary . Unocal then ceased operations as an independent company, but continues to conduct many operations as Union Oil Company of California, a Chevron company . The Union Oil Company of California

630-708: The San Miguelito and Rincon oil fields, then running offshore to the Carpinteria and Dos Cuadras fields underneath the Santa Barbara Channel. Producing units are primarily in the Lower Pliocene Pico Sands. Rather than being one continuous oil reservoir, the oil is trapped in a series of narrow stratigraphic traps , with the more porous, oil-bearing sections of the sandstone interbedded with impermeable units, rather like

675-512: The Santa Barbara Channel , near Santa Barbara, California . The event led to widespread criticism of both Union Oil and the offshore oil drilling industry, and was one of the events leading to the passage of the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Oil pipes under Avila Beach, California , leaked from the 1950s until 1996. A real estate firm determined the soil to be contaminated in 1989 and Unocal agreed to clean up

720-676: The Taliban were in the process of taking control of the country. Unocal rented a house in central Kandahar directly across the street from one of [Osama] bin Laden's new compounds. They did not choose this location deliberately. Most of the decent houses in town straddled the Herat Bazaar Road. Also near was the Pakistani consulate, which housed officers from [the Pakistani military Inter-Services Intelligence , the] ISI. In 1997, Robert Oakley [ex-US ambassador to Pakistan, now on Unocal's ad hoc advisory board] advised Miller to reach

765-589: The United Nations . In the 1980s, CIA chief Bill Casey had revived the agency's practice of gaining intelligence from traveling businessmen. Marty Miller, one of Unocal's top executives, conducted negotiations in several Central Asian countries from 1995, and voluntarily provided information gained on these trips to the CIA's Houston station. In 1996, Unocal opened an office in Kandahar , Afghanistan, while

810-488: The Pico Sands unit is about 3,800 feet (1,200 m), and depth to the Subthrust Pico is around 6,000 feet (1,800 m). Overall, 29 separate productive units have been isolated within the field, as of a 1997 reservoir modeling exercise carried out by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Pacific Operators Offshore. Oil from the field is medium-grade, with an API gravity from 26 to 27. The Carpinteria offshore field

855-535: The Rincon Facility, near the town of La Conchita . The three platforms are in 154 to 173 feet (53 m) of water, and range from 3.7 to 4.3 miles (6.9 km) from land. Along with the Dos Cuadras field to the west, the Carpinteria offshore field is part of a larger anticlinal trend beginning on land north of Ventura with the Ventura Oil Field , and continuing with breaks west through

900-538: The Taliban by working through Pakistan's government [then led by Benazir Bhutto ]. He also suggested that Unocal hire Thomas Gouttiere, an Afghan specialist at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, to develop a job training program in Kandahar that would teach Pashtuns the technical skills needed to build a pipeline. ... Unocal agreed to pay $ 900,000 via the University of Nebraska to set up a Unocal training facility on

945-452: The Taliban take Kabul [in 1996]". And French journalist Richard Labeviere said, referring to the later 1990s, "The CIA and Unocal's security forces ... provided military weapons and instructors to several Taleban militia[s] ..." US State Department officials openly promoted the pipeline, and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger served as a Unocal consultant. The Taliban and Unocal were in negotiations in Texas to discuss arrangements for

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990-579: The assets acquired was Mountain Pass rare earth mine , then the world's largest producer of rare earth elements . In 1989, Unocal placed its midwest refining and marketing assets, including Union's 150,000-barrel-per-day (24,000 m /d) Lemont Refinery in Lemont, Illinois , into a 50/50 joint venture with Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (P.D.V.S.A.). The joint venture, known as the Uno-Ven Company,

1035-544: The cover: "F*cking wonderful!" Other editions have since been published in the Netherlands , Japan, France, Greece , Italy , Poland , Russia, Turkey , and Korea . In 1999, Cullin sent a pre-publication galley to Gilliam for a cover blurb, but Gilliam so liked what he read that he optioned the book with an eye to direct. The controversial film version was produced by Gabriella Martinelli and Jeremy Thomas for Capri Films and Recorded Picture Company , and

1080-535: The field by directionally drilling from platform Hogan, which is in federal waters. As of 2010 that has not occurred. At the end of 2008, there were 44 producing wells remaining on the Carpinteria offshore field distributed between the three platforms, and they reported a water cut of 82%, indicating a mature field in decline (of all the fluid pumped from the field, 82% was water). 34°20′30″N 119°31′29″W  /  34.3416°N 119.5248°W  / 34.3416; -119.5248 Tideland Tideland

1125-471: The field out to the tidelands limit. Federal lease OCS-P 0166 – the first federal lease in the Santa Barbara Channel – was awarded to Phillips Petroleum on December 15, 1966, and they installed platforms Hogan and Houchin on September 1, 1967, and June 10, 1968, respectively, to produce from the federal portion of the field. Signal Petroleum, a subsidiary of the current owner (Carone Petroleum), took over operation of platforms Houchin and Hogan in 1990, becoming

1170-603: The field to DCOR on March 22, 2005. Chevron Corp., the successor to Standard Oil, ran the two platforms in the State leases, ceasing operations in 1992 due to the decline in oil prices and in reservoir productivity. They shut in the wells, and then formally abandoned them and removed both platforms in 1996. Believing that the state portion of the field could be made economical again, and that reserves were not completely depleted, in June 2001 Carone Petroleum proposed to reopen that part of

1215-439: The first independent oil and gas operator offshore on the west coast; at this time, the other offshore platforms were still operated by the majors (primarily Union, Exxon, Texaco, Chevron, and Phillips). In addition to the platforms, the company acquired the oil and gas processing plant at La Conchita, on the mountain side of the U.S. Highway 101 freeway where it runs along the sea. Platform Henry, in federal lease OCS-P 0240, has

1260-629: The gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Pakistan in 1997 although it faced competition with from the Argentine Bridas Corporation . While no deal was ultimately agreed with either company, the Taliban were leaning toward making a deal with Unocal as of August 1998. The company suspended work on the project following the U.S. cruise missile strikes on Afghanistan in response to the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings and completely pulled out in December 1998 citing low oil prices and

1305-607: The grounds that its implications for national security needed to be reviewed. Unocal was one of the key players in the CentGas consortium, an attempt to build the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline to run from the Caspian area, through Afghanistan and probably Pakistan , to the Indian Ocean . One of the consultants to Unocal at that time was Zalmay Khalilzad , former US ambassador to Afghanistan , Iraq , and

1350-404: The heads of old Barbie dolls to keep her company, Jeliza-Rose embarks on a series of highly imagined and increasingly surreal adventures in the tall grass surrounding the farmhouse. Tideland was first published in the United States in 2000 by Dufour Editions. The book received major notices upon publication, including a review from New York Times Book Review which wrote that the novel

1395-810: The major oil producer in southern Alaska and a major natural gas producer in the Gulf of Mexico . The company was reorganized in 1983, and Union Oil Company of California became an operating subsidiary of a new Delaware-based holding company, Unocal Corporation. In 1985, Mesa Petroleum, controlled by billionaire T. Boone Pickens , attempted a takeover of Unocal Corp. that resulted in the Delaware Supreme Court landmark decision Unocal v. Mesa Petroleum , which upheld Unocal's takeover defense. Virtually all operations are conducted by Union Oil Company of California (Union Oil). In 1977, Unocal acquired The Molybdenum Corporation of America (now Molycorp ). Among

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1440-455: The original five are in the western part of the field, arranged in a line running from west to east, with Henry on the west, followed by Platform Houchin and Platform Hogan, with Hogan nearest to the state tidelands boundary and the shore. Oil and gas from Platform Henry moves via undersea pipeline to DCOR's Rincon Plant processing facility, and oil and gas from Houchin and Hogan runs to PACOPS's La Conchita Plant, about two miles (3 km) northwest of

1485-702: The railroads to move crude oil. It gave Union access to a large volume of crude oil. The situation was later fictionalized in the 2007 film There Will Be Blood . In 1919, the Union Oil Company of Delaware was incorporated as a holding company for the Union Oil Company of California. In 1920, Union Oil purchased the Central Petroleum Company from the Texas Company . In 1922, the Union Oil Associates, Inc.,

1530-645: The soil they contaminated. To clean up the massive spill, the crew had to excavate enough soil to fill a football field up to 60 feet (18 m) high. Between the mid-1950s and 1994, Unocal leaked 18 million US gallons (68,000 m ) of diluent —a petroleum derivative pumped into heavy oil fields to make the oil flow freely—under the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes and nearby ocean water, the largest oil spill in California's history. The pipelines had leaks in at least 90 places. Locals had noticed

1575-455: The water depths ranging from about 120 to 200 feet (61 m). It is about three miles (5 km) long by one half mile across, extending from west-southwest to east-northeast, and has a total productive surface area of approximately 340 acres (1.4 km). The field is divided into five leases, with three in the state tidelands zone, and two in the federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) zone. The three drilling and production platforms remaining of

1620-539: Was "brilliant and beautiful." Some have favourably compared the book to earlier Southern Gothic American literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird and A Rose for Emily , while others, including Terry Gilliam and film producer Jeremy Thomas , have called the book a modern hybrid of Psycho and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland . A subsequent United Kingdom paperback edition followed in 2003 from Weidenfeld & Nicolson , with Gilliam's infamous blurb on

1665-547: Was a major petroleum explorer and marketer in the late 19th century, through the 20th century, and into the early 21st century. It was headquartered in El Segundo , California , United States. Unocal was involved in domestic and global energy projects. Unocal was one of the key players in the CentGas consortium, which attempted to build the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline to run from the Caspian area, through Afghanistan, to

1710-553: Was an initial sponsor of the Los Angeles Dodgers when the team relocated from Brooklyn in 1958. The 76 logo was the only corporate sponsorship visible in Dodger Stadium for many years after it opened in 1962. 76 logos currently adorn the batter's on-deck circles and the logo is atop the two large scoreboards in right and left field. A 76 gas station was located in the Dodger Stadium parking lot for decades. It

1755-605: Was approved by Unocal shareholders on August 10. The final CNOOC bid was nearly 5% greater than that of Chevron, but faced significant political opposition from the United States Congress and was finally withdrawn by CNOOC August 2 citing the associated political uncertainty. Following a vote in the United States House of Representatives , the CNOOC bid was referred to President George W. Bush , on

1800-533: Was directed by Gilliam and shot in Canada in 2004. Cullin was given a brief cameo in the movie and contributed lyrics to the soundtrack, and the name "M. Cullin" appears on the mailbox at the farmhouse where much of the film takes place. The script adaptation was written by Gilliam and screenwriter Tony Grisoni . Unocal Union Oil Company of California , and its holding company Unocal Corporation , together known as Unocal / ˈ juː n oʊ k æ l /

1845-499: Was discovered in 1964 by geologists from Chevron and ARCO following the Rincon anticlinal trend, which implied the existence of oil reserves offshore. Production had already peaked at many onshore fields, and technology for drilling and producing offshore was just becoming available. The first part of the field to be found was within the state tidelands zone, and Standard Oil Company installed platforms Hope and Heidi in 1965 to produce from

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1890-803: Was founded on October 17, 1890, in Santa Paula, California , by Lyman Stewart , Thomas Bard , and Wallace Hardison . It was a merger of three Southern Californian oil companies: the Sespe Oil Company and the Torrey Canyon Oil Company (both owned by Bard) and the Hardison and Stewart Oil Company. All three were notable as being completely unaffiliated with Standard Oil . Union Oil moved its headquarters to Los Angeles in 1901. The original headquarters in Santa Paula

1935-524: Was headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois , and primarily comprising employees from Union Oil's then Schaumburg, Illinois , division headquarters and Lemont, Illinois , refinery. The joint venture was dissolved in 1997, with P.D.V.S.A. receiving full ownership. During the life of the joint venture, the familiar Union 76 brand name continued in full force. At the termination of the joint venture, most stations were converted to Citgo , which

1980-421: Was incorporated in California as a holding company to prevent control of the Union Oil Company of California passing to foreign interests after the merger of the Union Oil Company of Delaware with Royal Dutch Company . In 1961, Union entered the Indonesian oil market. Henry L. Brandon , Union's vice president of international development wrote a "contract of work" arrangement, which was a first for Indonesia. In

2025-540: Was the sponsor of the Major Burnham Bowling Trophy, an annual California bowling event supported by the Boy Scouts of America and named after Major Frederick Russell Burnham . 76 was the official fuel and motor oil of NASCAR from the sport's inaugural season in 1948 until the end of the 2003 season when Sunoco became the official fuel and Mobil 1 became the official motor oil. 76

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