U.S. District Court upholds Santa Barbara County’s denial of ExxonMobil trucking proposal
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California upheld Santa Barbara County's denial of ExxonMobil's plan to transport oil by trucks along local highways.
The proposed transportation method was an important step for the company to restart three drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast that have been shut down since the Refugio oil spill eight years ago as well as its Las Flores Canyon processing facility.
In March of 2022, Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors rejected ExxonMobil's proposal based on significant and unavoidable harms to biological, water, and cultural resources as well as threats to public safety to which ExxonMobil filed suit against the Board's decision.
The County of Santa Barbara has been busy approving the ownership transfer of existing pipelines as well as decommissioning certain lines, including those too corroded for use.
