Court upholds injunction against Sable pipeline restart
April 17, 2026
Judge Geck rejects Sable’s reliance on Defense Production Act to operate corroded pipeline in open violation of state laws and court orders
SANTA BARBARA, CA – In a critical ruling today, a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge refused to end an injunction preventing Sable Offshore Corp. from restarting a defective pipeline on the Central Coast without required approvals—an injunction that the company is openly violating.
Judge Donna Geck also rejected Sable’s argument that an order issued by the Trump Administration in March allows the company to ignore laws or court orders that get in its way of producing oil, including a binding federal court order giving the State of California the final say over the restart of Sable’s failed pipeline.
“Today’s ruling is a win for the rule of law,” said Linda Krop, Chief Counsel of the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit law firm leading opposition to the Sable project. “The President does not have the power to just waive state laws or judicial orders to benefit his friends in the oil industry. Sable has undeniably and blatantly violated Judge Geck’s injunction by starting up the pipeline, and they have continued to operate it in violation of critical public safety and environmental laws. Once again, Sable is showing that it can’t be trusted to operate responsibly or legally, and every day they continue increases the risk of another disaster on the California coast.”
EDC represents Get Oil Out!, the Santa Barbara County Action Network, the Sierra Club, and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper in this case. Quotes from clients are below.
For more than two years, the Texas-based Sable has been trying to restart the Santa Ynez Unit—the old oil and gas facilities on the Gaviota Coast including three offshore platforms, onshore processing stations, and the pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spills in California history 11 years ago. The entire operation was shut down after the severely corroded pipeline ruptured and caused the 2015 spill at Refugio State Beach.
In March, Sable restarted its pipeline relying on an order issued by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright under the Cold War-era Defense Production Act (DPA). Before the Trump administration order, Sable’s project was bogged down by multiple lawsuits and court injunctions, felony criminal charges against the company, and the company’s failure to secure or in some cases even apply for key approvals and permits.
In court today, Sable’s attorney argued that the DPA order supersedes other court orders, including state court injunctions. Judge Geck soundly rejected that position in her tentative ruling issued on Thursday.
“Nothing in section 4511 or, by implication, in section 4557, permits a party subject to a DPA Order to violate other laws, especially including applicable other federal law … for example, no one suggests that Sable could steal materials or money to fulfill a DPA order without state law consequence under the section 4557 immunity,” Judge Geck wrote. “As construed by the federal courts, a DPA Order does not by itself permit violation of other federal law to accomplish the goals of the DPA Order.”
In April 2025, EDC and the Center for Biological Diversity filed lawsuits against the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) challenging the agency’s decision to approve waivers allowing the pipeline to operate without meeting normal safety requirements. In July 2025, Judge Geck issued a preliminary injunction, finding that the OSFM’s approval of waivers likely did not follow state law.
Also today, Judge Geck scheduled a hearing on May 22 to determine whether Sable is in contempt of the court’s order.
Quotes from EDC clients:
“Judge Geck’s decision to prevent Sable from operating its corroded pipeline in violation of numerous laws once again vindicates Get Oil Out! (GOO!) and its partners for holding the line on coastal protection,” stated Michael Lyons, President of GOO! “Operation of this unsafe pipeline, which clearly invites another disastrous oil spill along the Gaviota Coast, is unacceptable.”
“Today’s ruling is a significant win for our community and coast,” said Ted Morton, Executive Director of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper. “The Court’s ruling affirms the Consent Decree that settled legal claims from the devastating 2015 oil spill at Refugio State Beach and makes it clear that the state of California has authority that cannot simply be preempted by a federal order. Our community’s fight to defend the Santa Barbara Channel and coast from the unacceptable risk of another oil spill continues.”
“The federal government handed Sable a get-out-of-jail-free card, and they used it to fire up a corroded pipeline in open defiance of California law and a court order,” said Maureen Ellenberger, Chair of the Sierra Club Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter. “Today, Judge Geck made clear that won’t stand. Our coastline is not a sacrifice zone for a false promise of lower gas prices.”
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