Minerals Management Service is pleased to announce the release of the following reports which describe the evolution of the petroleum industry in the three California counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo:

• OCS Study MMS 98-0047, Petroleum Extraction in Ventura County, California: An Industrial History (Technical Summary)
  
• OCS Study MMS 98-0048, Petroleum Extraction in Santa Barbara County, California: An Industrial History  (Technical Summary)
  
• OCS Study MMS 98-0049, Petroleum Extraction in San Luis Obispo County, California: An Industrial History  (Technical Summary)
  
• OCS Study MMS 98-0061, Exploration and Production in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties, California: Oil Well Operators, 1950-1997 (Technical Summary)

The reports include an analysis of the evolution of the oil industry and its projected future, its relationships with the surrounding communities, and its role in a complex economy. Furthermore, the reports document the regulatory context in which the industry did business and to the innovations that its participants developed in order to operate in the natural and social environment, both offshore and onshore.

Please direct any comments or inquiries regarding these reports to Environmental Studies, Minerals Management Service, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo, CA 93010. Copies of the reports also may be requested by calling the MMS Pacific Regional Public Information Specialist at 1-800-672-2627.