On July 21, outraged climate justice activists descended on Governor Gavin Newsom's office, demanding that he stop caving to big oil and block a new offshore drilling pipeline and expanded onshore drilling in California. Texas oil company Sable Offshore Corp. has been moving to restart the corroded offshore drilling pipeline that caused the disastrous 2015 Refugio oil spill in Santa Barbara County that fouled miles of California coast.

The oil spill on May 19, 2015, at Refugio State Beach near Santa Barbara, ravaged 150 miles of the 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 have been shut down for 10 years since the pipeline failed. In 2024 a new company, Sable Offshore Corp., purchased the Santa Ynez Unit from ExxonMobil, largely using funds it borrowed from Exxon. Sable has worked hastily to try to restart oil operations and repair the failed pipeline.

Thousands of advocates, and nearly half of California’s Democratic Congressional delegation, have demanded that Newsom halt the disastrous pipeline. So far, he’s remained silent, advocates noted. "Activists were at Newsom's office to make sure that our message is heard: Californians do not want another oil pipeline,” said Ilonka Zlatar with Oil and Gas Action Network, one of the organizers of the action. “His office has ignored letters from hundreds of organizations, dozens of state and federal representatives, and thousands of Californians who do not want to see the restart of a failed pipeline that caused the second largest oil spill in CA history.”

Climate Activists Storm Newsom's Office, Demand Halt to Zombie Offshore Oil Pipeline

See Also: Federal Court rejects Sable’s demand for permits to restart oil & gas operation on the Central Coast | California: Halt Dangerous Restart of Oil Pipeline in Santa Barbara County | Court Bars Restart of Santa Barbara Pipeline While Lawsuit Proceeds | On Huge Oil Spill’s 10 Year Anniversary, Sable Announces Restarted Drilling on Santa Barbara Coast | California Coastal Commission Fines Sable Offshore $18 Million for Illegal Coastal Development | Lawsuit Challenges Outdated Plans for Aging Oil Platforms Off California Coast | Protecting Our Coast from Another Oil Spill - Stopping Sable | Rally to Fight Offshore Drilling - No Restart of the Santa Ynez Unit