How many lawsuits does it take to stop Sable Offshore Corporation?
At least two: One from the Environmental Defense Center and one from the Center for Biological Diversity. Well, two and a restraining order request—and even then, Sable continues its march to open the oil tap.
Both were filed in response to the Office of the State Fire Marshal-granted waiver that’s enabling Sable to move forward with fixing the oil pipeline that caused the Refugio oil spill in 2015. Both were filed because of fear: fear that Sable will be able to turn back on the pipeline, pump oil from offshore facilities, and get it moving into California again.
A judge recently agreed to grant a temporary restraining order request filed in one of the cases, ordering Sable and the fire marshal to halt operations tied to the pipeline’s restart. The Center for Biological Diversity made its June request in response to trouble bubbling under the surface.
On the 10th anniversary of the Refugio oil spill, the oil company announced that it started pumping oil from one of the offshore platforms that had sat idle for a decade—Platform Harmony. Sable made the announcement days after a paddle out commemorating the environmental disaster. Oil was already flowing through a pipeline under their boards.
“The timing was certainly quite painful,” Center for Biological Diversity Senior Counsel Julie Teel Simmonds said. “It definitely felt like a blow.”
At least it didn’t blow, amirite?
Even though that oil wasn’t flowing on land just yet, Simmonds said it could happen “any day.” Now, it can’t—at least not until after a July hearing.
It’s really the first significant legal hurdle that’s been erected to block Sable’s restart push, and both environmental nonprofits are touting the win, with the Environmental Defense Center calling it “a victory.”
Hmm. I’m pretty sure they both felt that way after the California Coastal Commission spanked the oil company for pipeline work the state agency felt needed permits.
Even an $18 million fine from the Coastal Commission following a slate of cease-and-desist orders couldn’t stop the company’s forward motion. Like a mad dash to the finish deadline, Sable isn’t stopping until that pipeline is flowing.
Even in light of the ruling, Sable seems to be unphased.
“This court decision does not impede Sable’s preparations for restarting the flow of oil critical to lowering California’s gas prices and stabilizing supply,” Sable Vice President of Environmental and Governmental Affairs Steve Rusch said. “[Sable] will seek to protect our rights and enforce the legal process.”
Sable will seek to pump and flow, just like its predecessors did. The company is, after all, simply trying to flip the switch back on for a facility and pipelines that have been there for decades. But it’s not that simple, right?
And Sable’s actions will likely make future operators’ lives more difficult. State Assemblymember Gregg Hart only needed to point in the company’s direction for his bill that aims to tighten offshore oil drilling regulations.
“I really made the case to my colleagues that Sable is not acting in good faith,” he said. “Newspaper articles about [Sable’s] behavior … helped me give more impetus to get this bill.”
That bill is headed to the state Senate. And Sable’s reputation is firmly in “don’t ask for permission, don’t beg for forgiveness” territory.
The Canary sometimes forgives. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 12-22, 2025.
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