The California Coastal Commission has issued a stern warning to Sable Offshore, threatening to halt its crude oil extraction activities in the Santa Barbara Channel. The commission alleges that Sable resumed operations of its pipeline without obtaining the necessary state permit.
“These violations can be resolved amicably,” stated Kate Huckelbridge, the commission’s Executive Director, in a communication addressed to Steve Rusch, Sable’s Vice President of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs.
Huckelbridge added, “However, if such a settlement is not possible, we will be forced to resolve this violation through the proposal of unilateral orders at a hearing.”
A detailed 16-page letter from the commission to Sable warns of potential penalties that could be imposed on the offshore company “as long as the violation persists,” according to a report from the Santa Barbara News-Press.
While environmental advocates have expressed their approval of the state’s intervention, it is worth noting that federal authorities had previously instructed the resumption of the pipeline’s operations to bolster military readiness amid global tensions.
The California Post has reached out to Sable for their response to the situation.
The relationship between Sable and California has become increasingly complicated due to a jurisdictional clash over offshore operations in the Santa Barbara Channel, stemming from the catastrophic 2015 Refugio oil spill.
Tensions intensified when President Trump signed an executive order earlier this year allowing the Houston-based company to begin pumping oil through the Santa Barbara coastline. Since then, Sable has found itself at the center of lawsuits involving both California officials and the federal government.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is fighting to stop operations and remove part of Sable’s pipeline to prevent environmental disasters
The Coastal Commission previously hit Sable with an $18 million fine — the largest in the commission’s history — for allegedly ignoring cease-and-desist orders and conducting unpermitted repair work.
Sable is currently facing 21 criminal charges and multiple lawsuits from Santa Barbara County over alleged unpermitted excavations and other violations.
Climate activists have viewed the threat of additional cease-and-desist actions against Sable as a positive development.
“Once again, Sable is being put on notice that they are violating the law,” Linda Krop, chief counsel of the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center (EDC), said in a statement.
“Even after felony criminal charges, multiple attorney general lawsuits, and a historic fine from the Coastal Commission, Sable is now ignoring a new state law requiring a permit for the restart of defunct oil facilities, including the company’s failed pipeline,” Krop said.
