Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Vote for Final Denial of Oil Permits for Sable Offshore Corp.
December 17, 2025
With a 3-1 vote, the Board rejected the company’s application to take over permits for onshore oil and gas facilities on the Gaviota Coast previously held by ExxonMobil
SANTA MARIA, CA—The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors denied the transfer of permits to Sable Offshore Corp., the company seeking to restart oil and gas facilities formerly owned by ExxonMobil on the Central Coast of California.
Yesterday’s vote was the final denial of Sable’s application to take over the permits, concluding more than a year of county hearings on the transfer. Under County law, Sable cannot operate its onshore facilities—including the pipeline—without these permits.
Supervisors cited Sable’s track record in Santa Barbara County, which includes an unprecedented $18 million dollar penalty from the Coastal Commission, a state Attorney General lawsuit, and numerous notices of violation from several state agencies related to Sable’s large-scale unpermitted excavation work. Regulators say that work did significant damage to habitats and waterways along the pipeline route.
“The evidence confirms that Sable is either unwilling or unable to follow fundamental environmental protections under the law,” said Tara Rengifo, Senior Attorney at the Environmental Defense Center (EDC). “Yesterday’s decision by the Board has real teeth—without those permits Sable cannot lawfully operate the oil and gas facilities on the Gaviota Coast.”
The Texas-based oil company, Sable, is attempting to restart the Santa Ynez Unit (SYU), which includes three old offshore platforms, onshore oil and gas processing stations, and the same defective pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spill disasters in state history—the 2015 Plains oil spill at Refugio State Beach.
To take over Exxon’s permits, Sable had to demonstrate that it had the training, skills, and resources to operate responsibly and lawfully. However, the Supervisors agreed that Sable’s history of violations made it clear that the company could not meet this requirement.
Prior to the vote, Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said he has supported oil projects by numerous companies, but Sable is different. “There is just too much evidence in the record that shows a pattern of noncompliance and either ignorance of our rules or just blatant disregard,” Lavagnino said.
In February, a previous Board of Supervisors hearing on the permit transfer resulted in a tie vote, meaning the County did not approve the transfer of the permits. Sable, Exxon, and their affiliates sued to force the transfer, and in July, the Court granted a request by EDC and its clients to intervene in the case. In September, a federal judge rejected Sable’s demand for an immediate transfer of permits and ordered the Board of Supervisors to revisit the matter.
In November, a majority of the Board directed staff to prepare findings to deny the transfer. Supervisors voted to adopt those findings yesterday and deny Sable’s applications.
EDC is leading a statewide coalition of environmental groups, students, Tribal organizations, businesses, and concerned citizens opposed to the restart of the old equipment on the Gaviota Coast, including a defective pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spill disasters in state history just 10 years ago. EDC’s clients in this case are the Sierra Club’s Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter, Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN), Get Oil Out! (GOO), Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and EDC.
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