Overview
- The House approved the $1.15 trillion National Defense Authorization Act on July 23, 2026, in a narrow 216–212 vote that included the Hunt Amendment.
- The Hunt Amendment authorizes the Secretary of the Army to acquire permanent easements along the Santa Ynez Pipeline System by purchase, donation, exchange, or condemnation, including lands owned by the State of California.
- The provision lets the federal government use eminent domain when the Defense secretary determines it is needed to ensure continuous crude deliveries from the Santa Ynez Unit to refineries that supply Department of Defense installations in California.
- Reporting shows the change followed a reported June request from Houston-based Sable Offshore asking federal agencies to seize properties around the pipeline for a proposed West Coast strategic reserve, prompting accusations from California Democrats that the amendment gives special treatment to oil interests.
- The bill now moves to the Senate where Democrats are expected to resist the provision, raising the prospect of extended negotiations, legal challenges over federal authority to condemn state land, and uncertainty for local landowners and refinery fuel supplies.