Oil Company Faces Legal Pushback for Attempted Restart of Santa Barbara Pipeline
July 16th, 2025 — by Bradley Reimer — Category: Offshore Energy
On June 3rd, 2025, a California court ordered the Houston-based oil company Sable Offshore Corp. (Sable) to halt the opening of the Las Flores Pipeline System in Santa Barbara, California. This is a significant blow to Sable’s attempt at revitalizing and reopening the Santa Ynez Unit (Unit), the oil platforms and pipes responsible for the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
In 2009, President George W. Bush created three marine national monuments conserving and protecting over 195,000 square miles. These designations created environmental safeguards by prohibiting commercial fishing and the extraction of natural resources within the area.
