Locals protest restart of offshore oil drilling in wake of region’s history with oil spills

GOLETA, Calif. – Thursday morning outside of Goleta City Hall local environmental advocates protested the proposed restart of offshore oil drilling.

This includes three offshore oil platforms and other equipment, including the same failed pipeline that caused one of the worst oil spills in California history— the Refugio Oil Spill back in 2015.

That particular spill devastated 150 miles of California Coast, killed a number of animals, shut down fisheries, and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up. it also resulted in criminal convictions for the pipeline’s former owner.

Operations have been shut down since that heavily corroded pipeline ruptured, but Sable Offshore Corporation, a Texas oil company, is telling investors it plans to restart the Santa Ynez unit as soon as next month.

In Sable’s most recent investor presentation from may, they laid out their vision for the Santa Ynez unit, stating that Santa Ynez is a massive oil-weighted resource that they are well qualified to operate.

Several community members spoke before the California State Lands Commission, stating that oil companies are notorious for cutting costs on maintenance to make greater profits.

“ It's always corporate polluters who are producing oil and gas and then leaving our mess behind for the state to clean up,” said Lee Heller, an environmental advocate who has lived in Santa Barbara for decades.

“What Sable is intending to do is restart these corroded pipelines, not replace them, with the same lack of protection against corrosion,” said Environmental Defense Center Attorney Jeremy Frankel.

Legally, Sable Offshore Corporation cannot resume operations until it receives state and local approval.

No members of Sable were in attendance Thursday to comment.