Sable Offshore Sues the State and the Nonprofit Environmental Defense Center to Stop Public from Knowing About Risks of Oil Project

August 15, 2024

Santa Barbara, CA – Sable Offshore Corp., a Texas oil company attempting to restart a failed pipeline that caused one of worst oil spills in recent California history, has sued the State of California and a Santa Barbara-based environmental nonprofit to conceal information about the dangers of its plan.

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC), one of the longest-running nonprofit environmental law firms in the nation, has been fighting to stop the restart of the pipeline and other equipment formerly owned by ExxonMobil, including three offshore drilling platforms shut down since the catastrophic 2015 Refugio spill.

In response to a public records request by EDC, Sable sued the state and EDC in July to prevent the release of information about the condition of the pipeline, the risks of another oil spill, and potential volume of a “worst case” spill. The lawsuit claims that the information would compromise national security and the company’s trade secrets. EDC filed its response to Sable today.

“The public has an urgent need to know the potential danger of restarting this pipeline, especially since Sable is attempting to expedite public approval processes and begin operations as soon as next month,” said EDC Executive Director Alex Katz. “If Sable can’t be forthcoming about the risks to this community, they have no business operating here.”

“Sable makes no credible argument to justify its claims that the condition of the pipeline and the company’s plan for a worst-case spill should be concealed from the public,” EDC Staff Attorney Jeremy Frankel said. “The information is critical to our environmental and economic security on the Central Coast, and we agree with the state that the public has a right to this information.”

In 2015, the poorly-built and heavily corroded Plains All-American pipeline ruptured near Refugio State Beach, releasing approximately 123,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. The spill devastated 150 miles of the California coast, destroyed thousands of acres of shoreline and subtidal habitat, killed untold numbers of animals, including marine mammals, shut down fisheries, cost hundreds of millions to clean up, and resulted in criminal convictions for the former owner.

If Sable is permitted to restart the failed pipeline, another spill is not a matter of if, but when.  According to a draft Environmental Impact Report from Santa Barbara County, restarting the compromised pipeline likely would result in a spill every year, and a major rupture every four years. The county predicted that ruptures could be nearly twice the size of the Refugio spill, even if Sable installs modern safety valve technology.  

In June, EDC filed a Public Records Act request for a document that Sable is required to submit to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) called an Integrated Contingency Plan (ICP). The document includes information about the condition of the pipeline, Sable’s plan to handle emergencies, such as oil spills, and the company’s analysis of a potential “worst case” spill. After CDFW informed Sable that it was going to release the document, Sable sued to keep it secret.

EDC has been working for years to stop the restart of the platforms, pipelines, and other equipment formerly owned by Exxon, collectively known as the Santa Ynez Unit (SYU). The SYU also includes the Las Flores Canyon processing facility, which when active was the single largest source of GHG emissions in Santa Barbara County.

A win in court at the beginning of this year ended Exxon’s plan to restart the SYU by trucking oil from the drilling platforms to facilities in Kern County. After the Santa Barbara County denied Exxon’s plan, the company sued, and EDC intervened in the case. EDC and the County prevailed in a hearing, and Exxon subsequently dropped its lawsuit and announced it was selling the SYU to Sable.

Sable has told its investors that it plans to restart the entire operation, including the pipeline, as soon as next month.

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The Environmental Defense Center defends nature and advances environmental justice on California’s Central Coast through advocacy and legal action. Since 1977, EDC has represented more than 140 nonprofit, community-based organizations to protect the Central Coast and the Earth’s climate. EDC is funded through private donations, receiving no government assistance. More at: www.EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org.