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Oil Flows Again Through Disputed Santa Barbara Pipeline After Trump Invokes Defense Production Act

California has asked a federal judge to halt the federally ordered restart, citing safety and jurisdiction concerns.

Overview

  • Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered Sable Offshore to resume operations under the Defense Production Act following a presidential directive, and the company says oil began moving over the weekend.
  • Sable reports it is shipping stored crude toward Kern County and plans to begin sales by April 1 at about 50,000 barrels per day.
  • California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency motion in federal court to block operations as the state challenges federal preemption claims tied to the restart.
  • California State Parks denied an easement through Gaviota State Park and ordered removal of a 4-mile pipeline segment, and the State Lands Commission authorized potential litigation and lease actions.
  • PHMSA previously asserted interstate jurisdiction and issued an emergency special permit, and a Justice Department opinion concluded a DPA order could override state law and a 2020 consent decree.