Court continues injunction preventing restart of defective oil pipeline in Santa Barbara County

February 27, 2026

Ruling creates more obstacles for Sable Offshore Corp.’s attempt to revive a pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spills in California history

SANTA BARBARA, CA – An injunction preventing the restart of a failed oil pipeline crossing Santa Barbara County will remain in place despite the Trump Administration’s intervention on behalf of owner Sable Offshore Corp., a Superior Court judge ruled today.

The ruling is another setback for Sable’s attempt to restart a major oil and gas operation on the Central Coast, including three old offshore platforms, onshore processing facilities, and the same pipeline that ruptured in 2015, causing a massive oil spill into the ocean at Refugio State Beach.

Shortly after Judge Donna Geck issued a tentative ruling Thursday, Sable announced that it will abandon a key state approval for the project, effectively throwing in the towel on the legal case brought by the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) and other environmental organizations.

“From a legal standpoint, this project is stuck in the mud,” said EDC Chief Counsel Linda Krop. “Not only does Sable still need approvals from the State Fire Marshal, but it has failed to get other necessary approvals including an easement to operate through Gaviota State Park and a new Coastal Development Permit from the California Coastal Commission. Sable is also enjoined from making repairs to the pipeline.”

“Restarting this system without making critical repairs, without required approvals, and with no environmental review or public vetting at any level of government is not just illegal—it’s a danger to the coast and everyone living nearby,” Krop said. “It’s time to pull the plug on this project and decommission this old equipment before it can cause more harm.”

Last year, EDC, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), and other nonprofit groups challenged waivers issued by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) that would allow Sable to operate the pipeline without meeting normal safety standards. Under an ongoing federal consent decree, Sable still needs the waivers to operate the pipeline.

At issue in Friday’s hearing was who has authority to approve a restart—California regulators or Trump’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Judge Geck ruled that the federal consent decree gives sole authority to the Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), so the injunction issued in state court would stand.

Geck’s ruling states:

While Sable now argues that it is not a party to the proceedings in which the Federal Consent Decree was entered, Sable’s authority to operate the Las Flores Pipelines derives from rights obtained by Plains, for which Plains was, and remains, subject to conditions including conditions set forth in the Federal Consent Decree. Sable has not demonstrated any right to operate the Las Flores Pipelines separate from the rights derived from Plains and subject to the Federal Consent Decree….[t]he Las Flores Pipelines may not be restarted without obtaining a State Waiver from the OSFM.”

Other hurdles for Sable include:

• The company still needs an easement to operate through Gaviota State Park. Restarting the pipeline without an easement would be a clear violation of state law.
• In October 2025, the state Fire Marshal notified Sable that more repairs were needed before the pipeline could safely restart. Sable has not made those repairs and is enjoined in a separate lawsuit from making any repairs without the proper permits.
• A state law effective January 1 requires a new Coastal Development Permit for restart of idled oil pipelines.
• The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors denied the transfer of permits from Exxon to Sable. Under County law, Sable cannot operate its onshore facilities without these permits.
• EDC is challenging the Trump Administration’s claim of jurisdiction over the pipeline restart in federal court. 

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