Federal officials say offshore oil production has resumed off of California’s Central Coast for the first time in a decade. But, local environmental advocates argue the project is still stalled and that key permits are missing.
In a press release, the US Department of the Interior announced that high oil production had restarted at the Santa Ynez Unit (SYU)—an offshore oil field that's been shut down since the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill. The agency called the development a success for moving the country toward “American Energy Dominance.”
The SYU, located off of Santa Barbara, was sold by ExxonMobil to Sable Offshore Corporation last year. It includes three platforms—Harmony, Heritage and Hondo—along with the onshore Las Flores Canyon plant and a pipeline that runs through Gaviota State Park.
Sable Offshore and the federal government claimed in separate press releases that one of the platforms, Harmony, resumed oil production. But state agencies and several environmental watchdogs dispute that claim.
“The State Lands Commission sent them a letter saying that they had not restarted production,” said Alex Katz, executive director of the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), a nonprofit legal group based in Santa Barbara. “But whether or not they restart production from one of these platforms, right now there's no way to get the oil out.”
According to the California State Lands Commission, Sable still needs approval from various state agencies in order to operate the pipeline that would carry oil from the platform to shore.
Without those approvals, the decades-old pipeline that ruptured in 2015 and spilled over 100,000 gallons of oil along the Gaviota Coast remains legally inoperable.
Sable Offshore declined to comment on the federal government’s announcement. The company is also subject to multiple legal challenges.
In February, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 2-2 on whether to transfer ExxonMobil’s permits to Sable, ultimately denying the transfer. In response Sable Offshore and ExxonMobil sued the County. A federal court allowed the EDC and several environmental groups to intervene in that case, citing the need for an environmental and community perspective.
Katz said the EDC is urging Governor Gavin Newsom and state agencies to require an updated environmental review of the pipeline before allowing any restart to move forward.
“At the bare minimum, there should be an environmental review of this massive project,” he said. “It’s potentially another disaster waiting to happen.”
The California Coastal Commission has also taken enforcement action against Sable Offshore. The agency issued an $18 million fine and multiple cease and desist orders for unauthorized pipeline work earlier this year.
