Press Releases
September 15, 2025
UPDATE: Federal Court rejects Sable Offshore Corp.’s demand for permits to restart oil & gas operation on the Central Coast
Ruling orders Santa Barbara County Supervisors to hold public hearing on permit transfer within 60 days
SANTA BARBARA, CA—In a ruling issued Friday evening, a federal judge denied Sable Offshore Corp.’s request for an immediate transfer of permits to restart old oil and gas facilities on California’s Central Coast—including the defective pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spill disasters in state history.
Judge Dolly M. Gee also ordered the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to revisit the transfer at a public hearing within 60 days.
July 29, 2025
Re: Sable's Application for an Easement for Line CA-325: California Department of Parks and Recreation's Obligation to Conduct Environmental
Review
June 16, 2025
Re: Request for Information and Comments on the Preparation of the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Dear Ms. Hammerle:
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management’s (BOEM) Request for Information (RFI) and Comments on the Preparation of the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program (“2025 Leasing Program”). These comments are submitted on behalf of the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) and the undersigned organizations.
EDC is a non-profit organization and law firm that defends nature and advances
environmental justice on California’s Central Coast through advocacy and legal action. The undersigned organizations seek to protect the California coast from the risks and impacts of offshore oil and gas development. Many of our groups are located along the state’s central coast and have witnessed the devastating impacts that result from such development, including the infamous 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and the 2015 Refugio Beach oil spill.
As an initial matter, preparation of the 2025 Leasing Program is premature and
unnecessary. The 10th 5-Year Leasing Program already covers 2024–2029 and includes leasing sales scheduled for 2025, 2027, and 2029. There is no need for the Secretary to act pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to re-evaluate the nation’s energy needs for another five-year period.
Should BOEM proceed with this process, it must comply with all applicable laws. First, it
is unlawful to lease OCS areas previously withdrawn by President Biden pursuant to OCSLA Section 12(a)—which includes the Pacific OCS Region (“Region”). Second, it is unlawful to lease any areas that are within the boundaries of a national marine sanctuary. Third, exclusion of the Pacific Region from the leasing program is warranted pursuant to the OCSLA Section 18(a)(2) factors. Fourth, the OCSLA balancing test under Section 18(a)(3) likewise indicates that the Pacific Region must be excluded. Fifth, there are specific environmentally sensitive areas that must be excluded from leasing, as detailed herein. Finally, BOEM must prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), conduct consultation pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and ensure compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA).
April 3, 2025
RE: Sable Offshore Corp. Cease and Desist Order, Restoration Order, and
Administrative Civil Penalty - SUPPORT
Dear Chair Cummings and Honorable Commissioners:
On behalf of Get Oil Out!, Santa Barbara County Action Network, Sierra Club (by and
through the Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter), Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and Environmental Defense Center, we urge you to adopt the staff recommendations for a Cease and Desist Order, Restoration Order, and Administrative Civil Penalty as set forth in the March 28, 2025, staff report.
As you are aware, Sable Offshore Corp. (“Sable”) has been conducting unpermitted
activities in the coastal zone since at least September 2024. These activities have caused
substantial damage to important coastal resources, requiring both restoration as well as measures to prevent further harm. Immediate enforcement action is necessary to ensure compliance with the Coastal Act.
April 2, 2025
RE: Sable Offshore – Gaviota State Park Easement
Dear Director Quintero,
Thank you very much for attending the Town Hall meeting in Santa Barbara on March
13, 2025. We appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from you regarding the role and responsibilities of the California Department of Parks and Recreation (“State Parks”) regarding the easement Sable needs before repairing or operating the Las Flores Pipeline System (the “Pipeline”) within Gaviota State Park. We also appreciate the letter sent by your office to Sable on December 20, 2024, notifying the company that it must apply for a new easement. As far as we know, Sable has not submitted such an application.
The purpose of this letter is to urge State Parks to enforce its requirement that Sable
obtain a new easement, and to conduct environmental review of the proposed easement under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), including a full public review of the potential risks and impacts should the pipeline be restarted. Additionally, given Sable’s track record of violating State directives, we urge State Parks to seek injunctive relief to prevent construction or operation of the Pipeline pending the completion of public and environmental review.
December 12, 2024
RE: Protecting California from the proposed restart of dangerous oil operations on the Santa
Barbara coast
Dear Governor Newsom,
We, the undersigned organizations, are grateful for your efforts to hold the oil industry accountable and protect Californians from oil industry pollution. Your bold leadership gives hope to communities burdened by pollution and affected by the climate crisis. California action to phase out oil production is all the more important now given the threats of more offshore oil drilling and climate inaction under a second Trump administration.
We are writing today regarding the shocking, potentially imminent restart of the pipeline that caused the 2015 Plains Pipeline oil spill. Restarting this dangerous pipeline would allow renewed operation of the largest offshore oil operation in the Santa Barbara Channel and its onshore production facilities, which have been shut down for nearly ten years.
December 5, 2024
RE: Sentinel Peak Trucking Permit Application
Chair Martinez and Planning Commission Members,
On August 21, 2024, the Board of Directors of Get Oil Out! (GOO!) voted to oppose Sentinel Peak’s application to truck oil from Santa Maria to Coalinga, California.
GOO! is a long-standing community organization created immediately following the devasting 1969 oil spill, the worst man-made environmental disaster in US history at that time. Our mission is to preserve and conserve Santa Barbara’s unique natural environment, scenic beauty and resources by opposing offshore and onshore fossil fuel developments which pose a significant danger to that environment.
August 21, 2024
RE: 2030 Climate Action Plan
Dear Santa Barbara County Supervisors,
We the undersigned representing thousands of County residents thank you for considering the updated Climate Action Plan (CAP), which outlines actions we can take to help meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
However, there is a significant omission: The greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory excludes emissions from oil and gas facilities. We are writing to ask you to direct staff to include these emissions in the GHG inventory.
June 27, 2024
Re: H.R. 6814, Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act - OPPOSE
Dear Chair Bentz and Ranking Member Huffman:
On May 17, 2024 and May 29, 2024, respectively, the Boards of Directors of Get Oil Out! (GOO!) and Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) voted to opposed H.R. 6814. We are submitting this letter to your Committee urging that you not pass this bill out of Committee.
Get Oil Out! (GOO!) was founded in the aftermath of the tragic 1969 oil spill that devastated Santa Barbara’s beaches, as well as its local tourist economy. In addition to monitoring new proposals for oil development, as well as existing projects, GOO! reviews and takes positions on legislation it deems of importance to our mission. SBCAN is a countywide grassroots organization that works to promote social and economic justice, to preserve our environmental and agricultural resources, and to create sustainable communities.