Press Room

Santa Barbara County court hearing reveals setback in Sable Offshore Corp. plans to restart failed oil pipeline

EDC Statement on court order denying stay requested to halt immediate restart of Sable pipeline

Today, the Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals denied a stay that was requested in an emergency lawsuit and would have prevented Sable Offshore Corporation’s immediate restart of the notorious oil pipeline on California’s Central Coast.  The case is still moving forward, and the judge issued an expedited briefing schedule. 

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC), the Center for Biological Diversity, and their clients filed the emergency lawsuit on Christmas Eve to halt the Trump administration’s rushed approval for restart of the defective pipeline that ignored federal laws requiring public input and an environmental review. 

EDC and partners file emergency lawsuit to halt Trump administration approval of Sable pipeline restart plan

The Environmental Defense Center, the Center for Biological Diversity, and their clients filed an emergency lawsuit to halt the Trump administration’s rushed approval for restart of a defective oil pipeline system on the Central Coast. The lawsuit filed in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit asks for a stay to prevent the immediate restart of the pipeline, which has been shut down for 10 years since it ruptured due to severe corrosion and caused one of the worst oil spills in state history. The Texas-based Sable Offshore Corp. is attempting to restart the pipeline and other old production equipment on the Gaviota Coast, including three offshore platforms.

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Vote for Final Denial of Oil Permits for Sable Offshore Corp.

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.  

Environmental Groups Condemn CA Coastal Commission Decision to Extend Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant for Another 20 Years

Environmental Defense Center Opposes Trump Administration’s Plan to Open up Santa Barbara Channel to New Oil Drilling

Today, the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) announced its strong opposition to the U.S. Department of Interior’s newly released Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program (“the Draft Program”) that includes federal waters off the entire West Coast including fragile regions such as the Santa Barbara Channel. This plan threatens California’s coastal resources, local economies, wildlife, commercial and recreational fishing, and the well-being of our communities.  This is the first time the federal government has opened the California coast to new lease sales since 1984, when Ronald Reagan was president. The Draft Program includes 34 lease sales in 21 of the 27 Outer Continental Shelf Planning Areas—amounting to roughly 1.27 billion acres. Of those, 6 lease sales would occur in the Pacific, with 3 of them in the Southern California Planning Area in 2027, 2029 and 2030.

Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Rejects Permits for Sable Offshore Corp.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors today rejected the transfer of permits to Sable Offshore Corp., the embattled oil company seeking to restart a huge oil and gas operation formerly owned by ExxonMobil on the Central Coast of California. The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to continue today’s hearing to December 16 and directed staff to prepare findings to support denial of Sable’s application.  The vote is another blow for Sable, which in recent months has been hit by felony criminal charges, a state Attorney General lawsuit, and losses in court. Under County law, Sable cannot operate its onshore facilities without the permits.

Court rules that Sable Offshore Corp. did extensive work on corroded pipeline without required permits

A Texas oil company attempting to restart a defunct oil and gas operation near Santa Barbara lost again in court today, when a Superior Court judge ruled that the company did large-scale digging and other work on the coast to repair a defective pipeline without the required permits. Earlier this year, the California Coastal Commission sued Sable Offshore Corp. for openly ignoring multiple cease-and-desist orders and making extensive, unpermitted repairs to the pipeline—the same one that ruptured in 2015, causing the massive Plains oil spill at Refugio State Beach. The Coastal Commission said much of Sable’s unpermitted work destroyed or disrupted sensitive habitats and species in the area.

Environmental Defense Center statement on CA Attorney General lawsuit against Sable Offshore Corp.

On Friday, October 3, the California Attorney General’s office filed a complaint against Sable Offshore Corp. alleging that the company repeatedly broke the law and discharged waste into streams, wetlands, and habitats while making unpermitted repairs to a broken oil pipeline on the California Coast.

The Texas-based Sable is attempting to restart offshore platforms and other idled equipment in Santa Barbara County—including the same defective pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spills in California history just 10 years ago.

EDC statement on Santa Barbara District Attorney filing criminal charges against Sable Offshore Corp.

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.

“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.” 

Federal Court rejects Sable Offshore Corp.’s demand for permits to restart oil & gas operation on the Central Coast

Court Allows Environmental Groups to Join Santa Barbara County in Legal Fight with Sable and Exxon

On July 25, a federal court allowed the Environmental Defense Center and its clients to intervene in a lawsuit against Santa Barbara County filed by fossil fuel companies trying to restart a huge oil and gas operation on the Gaviota Coast. Sable Offshore Corp., ExxonMobil, and their affiliates are challenging the County’s decision to NOT transfer permits to Sable to operate Exxon’s old oil and gas facilities after a tie vote by the Board of Supervisors in February.

Court injunction finds State Fire Marshal likely violated state law in approving Sable Offshore Corp.’s request to waive pipeline safety requirements

A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge today issued a preliminary injunction further complicating plans for the restart of a defective oil pipeline that failed catastrophically in 2015, causing one of the worst oil spill disasters in California history. The injunction essentially extends a temporary restraining order granted by the judge in June. It does not block Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration from approving restart of the pipeline, but it requires Sable Offshore Corp. (Sable), the pipeline’s owner, to come back to the court after receiving all outstanding approvals and then gives environmental groups a 10-day period to seek further relief from the court.

Court grants temporary restraining order delaying restart of failed oil pipeline

A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge today issued a temporary restraining order blocking Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration from approving the restart of a failed oil pipeline on California’s Central Coast – the same one that ruptured in 2015 and caused one of the worst oil spills in state history. Under Newsom, the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is poised to allow a Texas oil company to restart the pipeline after waiving normal safety requirements and without conducting any environmental review or public process as required by state and federal law.

EDC Statement on 10th Anniversary of Plains Oil Spill & the Ongoing Fight Against the Restart of Oil Drilling on the Gaviota Coast