The fight over the Sable Offshore pipeline is heating up again as oil continues flowing through the Santa Ynez Pipeline System and legal challenges move forward.
The pipeline system carries oil from three offshore platforms off the Santa Barbara County coast to Sable Offshore’s processing facility in Goleta. After years offline following the 2015 Refugio oil spill, Sable restarted operations, renewing debate over pipeline safety, environmental impacts and the future of offshore oil production along the Central Coast.
In June, KSBY News reporter Gianella Ghiglino visited Sable Offshore’s Goleta headquarters, where company leaders defended the project and environmental advocates raised concerns.
Sable Offshore CEO James Flores said increasing production could help lower energy costs.
“The more oil we produce, the cheaper it will be,” Flores said.
Environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Center, continue to question the impacts of restarting the pipeline system.
“When they brought this back online, they doubled greenhouse gas emissions in Santa Barbara County,” said Jeremy Frankel, a senior attorney with the Environmental Defense Center.
Frankel also raised concerns about the risks of operating the pipeline system, pointing to its route through communities, waterways and groundwater sources.
“There is serious risk of another spill,” he said.
California has since filed a lawsuit challenging federal approvals that allowed Sable to continue operating the Santa Ynez Pipeline System. State officials argue federal regulators improperly waived certain pipeline safety requirements.
Sable has said it is operating lawfully under federal oversight.
The dispute has also reached Washington, D.C. The U.S. House approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that could allow the federal government to acquire California-controlled land needed for the pipeline.
Supporters say the measure would protect critical energy infrastructure and strengthen energy security. Critics argue it would undermine California’s authority and set a precedent by using federal power to benefit a private company.
The amendment still requires Senate approval before it can become law.
Sable Offshore did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
