WASHINGOTN D.C. (KEYT) – On Friday, the Trump Administration stated it has directed Sable Offshore to restart oil production, including the use of onshore pipelines, in Santa Barbara County.
According to the Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, the federal government issued the order to restart production under the authority of the Defense Production Act of 1950 and delegated to the Energy Secretary by Executive Order 13603 "National Defense Resources Preparedness".
"The Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first," stated Secretary Wright Friday. "Unfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to those same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also our national security. Today's order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness."
Earlier this month, the Department of Justice issued a memorandum authorizing the use of the Cold War-era law to circumvent federal, state, and local regulatory authority to restart oil production.
"This is a revolting power grab by an extremist president. Trump is misusing this Cold War-era law just to help a Texas oil company skirt vital state laws that protect our coastline, and Californians will pay the price," said Talia Nimmer, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Mandating a restart of these defective oil pipelines won’t curb high gas prices, but it will put coastal wildlife at huge risk of another oil spill. Overriding state law to let an oil company restart pipelines sets a radically dangerous precedent. It’s clear that no state is safe from Trump."
"Directing a private oil company to push its project through without safety checks and adherence to California laws that keep our coast safe is appalling and illegal," added Nimmer. "We’re exploring all legal avenues. This dangerous action should be swiftly blocked by the courts."
In 2024, court documents show that Sable secured a $622,000,000 loan from ExxonMobil to fund the purchase of offshore and onshore oil production infrastructure that is collectively referred to as the Santa Ynez Unit.
Since onshore pipeline Line 901 ruptured in 2015, the pipelines have remained dormant and oversight of their restart has been assigned to the Office of State Fire Marshal through a federal court order.
In September of last year, Sable Offshore submitted a Request for Approval of Restart Plans, which involved the onshore pipelines, to the California Office of State Fire Marshal in accordance with the consent decree agreed to by the previous owner of the pipelines.
The state safety regulator found that there were still outstanding steps required before approving restart the following month.
Instead of meeting the requested safety actions, Sable Offshore instead informed investors in December of last year that it had determined that pipelines connecting the onshore oil processing plant on the Gaviota Coast to Pentland Station in Kern County are technically interstate pipelines under the Pipeline Safety Act and requested that federal regulators take over its restart plans.
The Department of Transportation agreed with Sable Offshore's assessment and promptly asserted its authority over restart plans in mid-December.
The Department of Transportation's pipeline safety regulator argued that the restart plans were subject to emergency permitting based on a national energy emergency declared by President Trump last year which could bypass normal regulatory steps.
While that emergency permit expired, in mid-February of this year, the federal government announced a 30-day public comment period kickstarting a review process before a special permit can be issued and oil production through shuttered onshore pipelines can be restarted.
Despite those steps to facilitate a public comment period, Friday's decision appears preempt the standard approval process for national security reasons.
"The action also prioritizes pipeline transportation capacity to ensure crude produced offshore California moves through the Las Flores Pipeline System to Pentland Station and into interstate pipelines, allowing American energy to reach domestic refineries more efficiently, while reducing California's reliance on foreign oil vulnerable to geopolitical disruption," stated a press release Friday from the U.S. Department of Energy.
No details about the timeline for restart, restrictions on production, nor additional safety protocols were included in the announcement.
Your News Channel has reached out to Sable Offshore and the U.S. Department of Transportation for more information and their responses will be included in this article when they are received.
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