Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, proposed new legislation to add more money to the fund that’s set aside for take of care of abandoned oil wells in Long Beach, but nearly two decades may pass before any of those dollars get spent.

The state’s Oil Trust Fund contains money that’s already allocated to cleaning up Long Beach oil fields. The fund has had its maximum of $300 million assigned to it since 2014, but that amount would be far short of the currently-projected sum of $836 million that may eventually be required for state government to cover its share of cleanup costs, according to O’Donnell’s office.

O’Donnell’s bill would eliminate the cap on the trust fund, allowing additional dollars to be deposited.

The State Lands Commission sponsored O’Donnell’s bill. Spokeswoman Sheri Pemberton said money in the trust fund cannot be spent on cleanup efforts until Long Beach’s oil fields are no longer operational. If O’Donnell’s bill becomes law, she said oil-related dollars that are presently transferred to Sacramento’s general fund would be deposited into the trust fund.

Long Beach oil operations, which include those on the oil islands off the city’s coastline, may continue for many years. Kevin Tougas, oil operations bureau manager for Long Beach’s city government, said city officials expect oil operations may continue until about 2035.

“It really depends on the price of oil,” he said.

City government has about $20 million set aside for its share of cleanup costs for tidelands area oil operations, and another $6.5 million for uplands oil facilities, Tougas said. He said city government adds to those amounts every year, and that the city’s share of costs to eventually clear away oil infrastructure at tidelands and uplands sites are projected at $112 million and $20 million, respectively.

O’Donnell’s bill is A.B. 2404.