On March 23, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for ordering a restart of oil operations at the Santa Ynez Unit. “In a breathtaking power grab,” Bonta stated, “the federal executive branch has asserted that [it] may preempt and supersede all state laws governing hazardous pipelines … […]
Las Flores pipeline
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Trump administration resurrects Las Flores oil pipeline
On March 14, Sable Offshore Oil Corp. began transporting oil produced at the Santa Ynez Unit through the Las Flores pipeline system, which ruptured in 2015 and spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil in Refugio, to Pentland Station in Kern County. According to U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, a new executive order […]
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Court rules in favor of Sable on restart plan, for now
On Dec. 31, an appeals court ruled against environmental groups’ request to stay a federal decision approving Sable Offshore Corporation’s restart plans for two oil pipelines along the Gaviota Coast. The request was part of a lawsuit the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Center, and others filed against the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety […]
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Department of Transportation classifies Las Flores pipeline under new regulatory oversight
Within 24 hours of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ Dec. 16 vote to deny Sable Offshore the permit transfers it needs to revive the Las Flores pipeline, a separate governing body responded to the Texas-based oil producer’s appeal to a higher power. On Dec. 17, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted Sable’s request […]
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Santa Barbara County re-evaluates Sable Offshore’s capacity to operate safely and lawfully
Nine months after a stalemate prevented Santa Barbara County officials from taking action on a controversial oil pipeline’s proposed restart, 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino moved from one side of the vote to the other. In February, Lavagnino supported Sable Offshore’s pursuit of the permit transfers needed to revive the Santa Ynez Unit, which includes […]
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County Superior Court denies Sable Offshore’s petition of $18 million fine
Between various state agencies’ ongoing legal battles with a Texas-based oil producer, at least one chapter of the Sable fable came to an end in mid-October. While Sable Offshore Corp. is currently seeking more than $300 million in damages from the California Coastal Commission for delaying its restart work on the Santa Ynez Unit, the […]
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Sable considers restarting Santa Ynez Unit via offshore tankers if onshore pipeline ‘delays’ continue
Like oil and water, Sable Offshore and local jurisdictions’ visions for the future of three rigs off the Gaviota coastline are fundamentally incompatible—prompting recent pivots from both sides of the fence. The California Coastal Commission and Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a civil lawsuit and criminal charges, respectively, against the Texas-based oil company […]