A Santa Barbara County judge decided Tuesday morning to maintain restrictions on restarting a controversial oil pipeline along California’s Central Coast. The decision comes after environmental groups say the operator ignored a court order.
A preliminary injunction requires Sable Offshore Corp. to notify the court and wait 10 days before restarting its pipeline system. But attorneys for environmental groups say the company resumed operations over the weekend without doing either.
At a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Donna D. Geck left the injunction in place.
“We will be advocating that the judge order that Sable immediately shut down the pipelines in light of Sable’s flagrant violation of the order,” said Talia Nimmer, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Nimmer said environmental groups are also asking the court to consider whether Sable acted in contempt.
“We are also hoping that she will set another hearing where she will determine whether Sable acted in contempt of court by violating her injunction, and contempt has several penalties and even jail time associated with it,” she said.
The injunction stems from a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wishtoyo Foundation. The groups challenged actions by California’s Office of the State Fire Marshal, alleging it improperly issued waivers from pipeline safety requirements without environmental review, public notice or a hearing.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Environmental groups argue the restart increases the risk of an oil spill along the coast.
In May 2015, an onshore Plains All American pipeline near Refugio State Beach ruptured, releasing over 100,000 gallons of crude oil. At least 21,000 gallons flowed through a culvert into the Pacific Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The case is scheduled to return to court in April.
