2025 Press Releases

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

Environmental Defense Center Files Lawsuit Challenging State Waivers for Defective Oil Pipeline

A coalition of environmental groups today filed a lawsuit challenging state waivers granted to a Texas oil company for the restart of a defective pipeline on the California Coast – the same pipeline that ruptured near Refugio Beach in 2015 and caused one of the worst oil spills in California history.   The lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County challenges the decision by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to grant waivers allowing the pipeline to operate without effective protection against corrosion, which was the exact cause of the 2015 spill. The lawsuit states that OSFM approved the waivers at the end of last year without properly considering the risks of operating the corrosion-prone pipeline and without conducting an environmental review or allowing for public input as required by state and federal law.

California Coastal Commission Fines Sable Offshore $18 Million for Illegal Coastal Development—One of the Largest Penalties in Agency History

The California Coastal Commission issued an $18 million fine and other major penalties against Sable Offshore Corp. for extensive and unpermitted work that harmed habitats and waters on California’s coastline.  Sable, a new Texas oil company, has been rushing to complete repairs on an old, severely damaged pipeline, in violation of cease and desist orders from the Commission and numerous notices of violation from the Commission and other state agencies. At Thursday’s hearing, the Commission also voted to levy a Cease and Desist Order that will remain in effect until Sable obtains approvals for both past and future activities related to its onshore and offshore pipelines and a Restoration Order to address the significant impacts of the unpermitted work.

Environmental, business, and community leaders call on Newsom administration to stop dangerous offshore oil project

entral Coast environmental groups, elected officials, business leaders, and high-profile activists including Jane Fonda, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert held a press conference on Thursday, March 13, to demand that state agencies step up to protect the California coast and communities from another disastrous oil spill. Speakers at the press conference hosted by the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) called out Sable Offshore Corp., a new Texas oil company, for its plans to restart oil and gas drilling off the Gaviota Coast using the same defective pipeline that caused the Refugio oil spill 10 years ago. Speakers also demanded that the state conduct a full environmental review of the project and allow for public input as required by law. So far, the project has moved forward with zero environmental review or formal public input.

Environmental Groups Applaud County Board Decision to NOT Transfer Permits for Dangerous Oil Project

Environmental groups including the Environmental Defense Center and its clients applauded a Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decision on Tuesday to NOT approve the transfer of permits to operate defective and highly dangerous oil and gas equipment on the Gaviota Coast. Sable Offshore Corp., a new Texas oil company, applied to take over permits for equipment formerly owned by ExxonMobil, including two huge fossil fuel processing stations and a failed pipeline that broke 10 years ago, causing one of the largest oil spills in California history. Hundreds of people including many UCSB students attended the hearing on Tuesday wearing “Don’t Enable Sable” stickers to oppose the transfer. Speakers pointed out that Sable has not demonstrated the financial ability to deal with another spill, cannot be trusted to operate the equipment responsibly, and cannot comply with the permit conditions requiring effective corrosion protection for the pipeline – all of which are conditions for transfer of the permits.

The Board’s 2-2 vote means the company’s application was not approved and the transfer of permits will not happen. Without permits, Sable cannot operate the facilities unless it works out an agreement with Exxon – plus the company still needs approvals from multiple state agencies.