EDC statement on Santa Barbara District Attorney filing criminal charges against Sable Offshore Corp.
Sept. 18, 2025
Santa Barbara, CA—The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) today released the below statement on criminal charges filed this week against Sable Offshore Corp., the Texas company attempting to restart a massive oil and gas operation on California’s Central Coast.
Statement
“At this point it should be abundantly clear that Sable is not a company we can trust to operate safely, responsibly, or even legally in California,” said EDC Chief Counsel Linda Krop. “No matter how Sable spins it, these are serious charges, and they raise big questions about the company’s integrity and its ability to operate risky facilities without causing more harm to our state. In its short history, Sable has openly ignored cease-and-desist orders from the Coastal Commission, racked up multiple notices of violation from other agencies, and according to the felony charges filed this week, knowingly poisoned waterways here in Santa Barbara County. The company is still asking state agencies for approvals to restart this failed pipeline and operate it through Gaviota State Park. However, the criminal charges make it even more clear that the state must conduct a full environmental review and allow for a transparent, public process before considering whether this project should move forward.”
Background
On Tuesday, September 16, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed 21 criminal charges against Sable, including five felony counts. The complaint accuses Sable of violating the law while excavating and making repairs to a severely corroded pipeline that runs from the Gaviota Coast to Kern County – the same pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spill disasters in California history just 10 years ago.
Charges include five felony counts of knowingly discharging a pollutant into a waterway and sixteen misdemeanor counts of unlawfully obstructing a streambed and discharging materials harmful to wildlife.
Starting last year, Sable received multiple notices of violation related to its repair work from agencies including the State Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Coastal Commission. Sable also ignored cease-and-desist orders from the Coastal Commission, leading to a record $18 million fine and a third cease-and-desist order from the Commission in April. However, following the Commission’s enforcement action, Sable immediately continued its work on the pipeline until a Superior Court judge issued an injunction halting repairs. According to the Commission, much of the work destroyed or disrupted sensitive habitats or species in the Coastal Zone.
EDC has been leading efforts to oppose Sable’s restart of oil and gas facilities formerly owned by ExxonMobil, including three 1980s-era offshore platforms, onshore processing stations, and the defective pipeline that ruptured in 2015, causing the Plains oil spill at Refugio State Beach. EDC represents Get Oil Out! (GOO!), the Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN), the Sierra Club, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and EDC in this case. For more information, go to Sable’s Dangerous Oil Project.
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The Environmental Defense Center defends nature and advances environmental justice on California’s Central Coast through advocacy and legal action. Since 1977, EDC has represented more than 140 nonprofit, community-based organizations to protect the Central Coast and the Earth’s climate. EDC is funded through private donations, receiving no government assistance. More at: www.EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org.
