Goleta City Council unanimously votes to adopt resolution opposing restart of oil pipelines county wide

GOLETA, Calif. — Goleta leaders made their stance clear by unanimously adopting a resolution to oppose the restart of oil pipelines in the county.

Push back has grown to one particular Texas oil company, Sable Offshore Corporation. 

“When you look at the the likelihood and the consequences of a spill and the disruption that it would cause, it's not worth the amount of oil that would be generated from it. So it's not a good idea for us to do this in our city,” said Vice Mayor Stuart Kasdin.
 
The company has been working tirelessly to restart the Santa Ynez oil production unit, which includes the pipeline that ruptured during the Refugio Oil Spill back in 2015. 
 
Local environmentalists have tried to stop them every step of the way. 

“This is kind of a first really big issue or project that I have seen more young people engaged on. And that's really encouraging for the future,” said Luz Reyes- Martín, the Goleta City Councilwoman representing District 1. 

Vice Mayor Stuart Kasdin says even though the restart of local oil pipelines would generate jobs, it’s not worth the larger impact to the economy or local wildlife if another spill were to occur.

“Even if somebody is enthusiastic about the role of oil, you still have to say, where is it make sense to do it? Where's an appropriate location to do it? And off the coast here is not a good location to do it,” said Kasdin.

Sable has promised to restore the pipeline to "as new" condition.
 
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to allow the transfer of assets from Exxon to Sable. 
 
They’ll be holding a public hearing on February 25th. 

“What I would hope is that reason prevails. I would hope it's not just that there's a resolution, but that they take a moment to reflect,” said Kasdin.