Court Bars Restart of Santa Barbara Pipeline While Lawsuit Proceeds

The request filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Wishtoyo Foundation responded to an announcement by the pipeline’s owner, Sable Offshore Corp., that it had resumed oil production from one of three offshore platforms related to the pipeline on May 15. The company says it is storing that oil in onshore tanks while it seeks to restart the failed Las Flores pipeline system.

The groups filed the request as part of their pending lawsuit against the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which challenges the agency for issuing Sable waivers from safety requirements to prevent corrosion. The Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center filed a similar lawsuit and request for relief on behalf of a group of environmental organizations. The Fire Marshal did not comply with environmental review and pipeline safety laws before issuing the waivers for this flawed pipeline. No state agency under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has conducted a full environmental review of the restart project.

“We were appalled when Sable resumed operations offshore with no public notice, so it’s a relief that the company can’t restart these onshore pipelines while the court considers this case,” said Julie Teel Simmonds, a senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The public deserves to know what harms could come from the pipeline that caused such a catastrophic oil spill 10 years ago, and the decision to restart shouldn’t be made behind closed doors. It’s important to hold California agencies accountable and make sure they protect the public interest and our coastal environment from oil industry pollution.”

The restart process for the embattled pipeline has been highly controversial, and Sable has already been cited for violating California law. The California Coastal Commission issued three cease-and-desist orders, a $18 million fine and a restoration order against Sable for damage to the coastal zone from unpermitted construction work on the pipelines. On May 28 a court granted the commission a preliminary injunction, ordering Sable to stop all construction in the coastal zone, although the company has stated that it has already completed all the necessary work on the pipelines.

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has also asked the California attorney general to pursue legal action against Sable for water quality violations related to work on the pipeline.

“Today, we celebrate an enormous victory in our long battle against the restart of the Santa Ynez Unit and Las Flores Pipeline System,” said Mati Waiya, executive director of the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation. “Our communities have remained steadfast in the face of such disregard for the environment and our collective safety.”

Today’s ruling to grant the request was made by Judge Donna D. Geck. She set a hearing for July 18 to determine whether to extend the injunction.

The oil spill on May 19, 2015, at Refugio State Beach near Santa Barbara ravaged 150 miles of the California coast. What is believed to be 450,000 gallons of oil polluted thousands of acres of shoreline and habitat and killed hundreds of marine mammals and birds, shutting down beaches and fisheries. Restoration and compensation cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the spill resulted in a felony conviction for the pipeline’s former owner.

The onshore and offshore pipelines, three offshore platforms, and onshore processing facilities known collectively as the Santa Ynez Unit had been shut down for 10 years since the pipeline failed. Sable purchased the unit in 2024 and has worked hastily to try to restart oil operations and resuscitate the failed pipeline.


The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.8 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.

Founded in 1997, the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grassroots organization that enhances the well being of communities by preserving and protecting Chumash Native American culture, and the natural resources all people depend upon throughout California and the traditional Chumash range in Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. To learn more about Wishtoyo visit us at http://www.wishtoyo.org.

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/court-bars-restart-of-santa-barbara-pipeline-while-lawsuit-proceeds-2025-06-03/