Sable Offshore Corp. announced Monday it has restarted oil production at the Santa Ynez Unit nearly 10 years after the Refugio Oil Spill spill shut it down.
According to Sable, oil has been flowing from Platform Harmony to Las Flores Canyon at 6,000 barrels a day since May 15. Seven of the eight pipelines in the Las Flores system have passed hydrotests, with one more test needed before the system can fully restart.
Alex Katz is with the Environmental Defense Center, one of several groups against reopening the pipeline that polluted the coast in 2015.
“The fact that they're announcing that they're restarting this system on the 10th anniversary of a spill that was so devastating just shows how little regard they have for the environment and for people in California,” Katz said.
Katz said environmental groups are concerned restarting the system could lead to another spill.
But Sable said it has added new safety measures– including 27 emergency shutoff devices and round-the-clock leak detection.
In recent months, the California Coastal Commission cited Sable for unpermitted work on the unit, but the company still received approvals to restart from the State Fire Marshal and Santa Barbara County.
The Environmental Defense Center is currently suing the Fire Marshal, in an ongoing lawsuit arguing that they improperly allowed Sable to operate the pipeline without corrosion protection– the same issue that reportedly caused the Refugio oil spill.
