California officials are preparing for possible legal action after the Trump administration ordered the restart of a controversial offshore oil operation along the state’s Central Coast. The California State Lands Commission held an emergency meeting Monday after Texas-based Sable Offshore Corp. resumed sending oil through the Santa Ynez pipeline system near the Gaviota Coast.
Company officials say they restarted the pipeline Saturday under a federal order issued by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright using the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law that allows the federal government to direct private companies to prioritize production tied to national defense.
California officials argue the move bypasses state environmental and safety laws and existing court rulings.
“Today what we’re doing here is putting the federal government and any entities that use state lands on notice,” said Malia Cohen, who chairs the commission. “We have jurisdiction over public trust lands and tidelands in California, and any attempt to circumvent our jurisdiction will be challenged.”
The commission voted unanimously to work with the California Attorney General's Office to pursue litigation and take additional steps that could include terminating Sable’s leases on state lands.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta also criticized the restart during a press conference Monday, saying the state is considering all legal options and is prepared to act quickly.
“We’re not going to stand by as this administration continues its unlawful all out assault on California and on our coastlines,” Bonta said. “We are considering all of our legal options and we’re prepared to act quickly to stop the inappropriate conduct of this Trump Administration.”
The Santa Ynez pipeline system has been largely idle since the Refugio oil spill, when a ruptured pipeline sent thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean, damaging coastal habitats and fisheries.
Environmental groups and advocates have urged regulators to block the restart, warning it could increase the risk of another spill and argue the project has not undergone a new environmental review.
“A defective pipeline operating at high pressure with no legal guardrails is a threat to public safety, to our economy, and to the entire coast,” said Environmental Defense Center Executive Director Alex Katz.
“This has nothing to do with gas prices or the military. What we’re seeing is an abuse of power and a corruption of federal law for the benefit of the President’s friends, with potentially disastrous consequences for everyone else. Not only does this represent a real threat, but it undermines the right of California and potentially every other state to protect its own people and its own environment.”
Sable Offshore has faced multiple lawsuits, fines and cease-and-desist orders from state agencies in recent years. The company maintains it is complying with federal orders and says it expects to begin selling oil by April 1, with production eventually reaching about 50,000 barrels per day.
