Congressman Carbajal and Senator Schiff issue letter asking for more public hearings and state oversight of plans to restart local oil production
WASHINGTON D.C.– On Monday, Central Coast Congressman Salud Carbajal and California Senator Adam Schiff announced a joint letter to Governor Newsom about plans to restart oil production in Santa Barbara County warning about potential environmental impacts and requesting that state regulators host public hearings about their decisions.
The March 3, 2025, letter notes the impact of the 2015 Refugio oil spill caused by a corroded pipeline that is part of the Santa Ynez Unit which includes both offshore and onshore infrastructure and that, when in operation, the system was a notable source of local greenhouse gas emissions.
The image below, from an informational slide in an investor presentation by Sable Offshore courtesy of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, shows the Santa Ynez Unit purchased by the Houston-based company from ExxonMobil back in February of 2024.
The joint letter notes that multiple state regulators -including the Office of State Fire Marshal, State Parks, California Coastal Commission, and State Lands Commission- play an important role in restarting production that has been shuttered since the 2015 Refugio oil spill, all without any public hearings.
"It is our understanding that none of the aforementioned state agencies have held formal public hearings or conducted environmental review, despite state-wide concerns about the safety, economic, environmental, and climate effects of Sable’s proposal," read the letter.
Specifically, the elected leaders requested that:
- Office of State Fire Marshal reconsider a state waiver granted to Sable Offshore in December of last year, conduct environmental review of the project, and hold a public hearing on its decision
- Require State Parks to conduct an environmental review of the project and hold a public hearing before deciding to approve a new easement for oil pipelines through Gaviota State Park
- Enforce a requirement that Sable Offshore receive a coastal development permit for restart of oil pipelines
In February of 2025, Sable Offshore filed a complaint against the California Coastal Commission in Santa Barbara County Superior Court alleging that the statewide regulator's series of notices and orders stopping local construction work unlawfully prevented the company's ability to complete necessary repairs and comply with federal law.
According to the complaint, Sable Offshore and its subsidiary, Pacific Pipeline Company, are required by federal law to schedule evaluation and remediation within 180 days for, "all anomalous condition in [any] pipeline" and pointed to permits issued by the County of Santa Barbara for their work along the Gaviota Coast.
"The Coastal Commission’s issuance of the NOVs [Notice of Violation] and EDCDO [Executive Director Cease and Desist Order] prohibits Plaintiffs’ [Sable Offshore] compliance with federal law requiring Plaintiffs to promptly make anomaly repairs and conduct span remediation maintenance activities at the Pipelines as necessary to protect human health and the environment without prior compensation in violation of Article I, Section 19 of the California Constitution and the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution, as incorporated by the Fourteenth Amendment," stated Tuesday's complaint.
In response to Your News Channel's inquiries, the Coastal Commission confirmed that Sable Offshore is continuing to work along the Gaviota Coast and notably, has never filed for a coastal development permit for onshore nor offshore work associated with restarting oil production at the Santa Ynez Unit.
"Sable Offshore is working with all agencies including the California Coastal Commission to ensure all of our work is in compliance with our existing permits and federal and state statutes," stated Steve Rusch, Vice President of Environmental & Regulatory Affairs at Sable Offshore. "As you can imagine with as important a project as SYU [Santa Ynez Unit], one that will provide a stabilizing supply of low carbon intensity crude oil into the CA market (10-20% of instate production), we are getting a lot of attention. We look forward to being an important part of the California energy solution and working through these issues which come with that increased scrutiny."
Your News Channel reached out to representatives of Sable Offshore, Governor Newsom, Senator Schiff, Congressman Carbajal, the California Coastal Commission, the Officer of State Fire Marshal, and the State Lands Commission for comment and their respective responses will be added to this article as they arrive.
