The first oil platform off the Santa Barabara coastline was erected in 1958. Just a decade later, in 1969, one of these platforms was responsible for the third largest oil spill in United States history, releasing an estimated 4.2 million gallons of oil into the ocean which polluted the water and killed marine life. While these oil rigs pose significant threats to the environment and the public, they have also benefited the ocean because their metal structures have created artificial reefs. You can find birds and sea lions often on or surrounding the base of the platform as well as mussels and barnacles in the shallower waters. An array of thriving marine life can be found in the deeper waters, including urchins, anemones, and fish. Despite, the beauty the rigs create below the water, these large industrial structures detract from the natural beauty of the Santa Babara coastline. To address these issues while ensuring no more marine lives are harmed, a happy medium is to shut down/decommission all oil rigs and partially remove them from the coast of Santa Barbara. This approach would entail removing a large majority of the above-water structure while keeping the underwater structure intact to preserve the artificial reef that resides there.