Sable Offshore Oil won the first round of what promises to become a protracted multi-jurisdictional showdown over restarting all of Exxon’s former oil operations — both onshore and off the Gaviota Coast — as the county’s Planning Commission voted 3-1 to approve the transfer of ownership and permits from ExxonMobil to Sable, a smaller oil company.
Last Wednesday’s hearing was highly charged since this is the only bite the County of Santa Barbara will get at what’s undeniably a major apple. State Senator Monique Limón, State Assemblymember Gregg Hart, and former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson joined environmental activists before the hearing, accusing Exxon of seeking to shirk responsibility for its oil operation by selling it to Sable, which they claimed lacked the financial resources to deal with an oil spill. They objected that Sable was not replacing the old, badly corroded pipeline that ruptured in 2015, causing 142,000 gallons to spill out, much of which oozing into the ocean.
Sable packed the Planning Commission chambers with so many employees — most of whom used to work for Exxon — that many had to sit in overflow chambers.
Two planning commissioners expressed serious misgivings about what they didn’t know. For example, would the insurance policies Sable carried be sufficient to cover the costs of another spill? What was Sable’s oil spill contingency plan? Was it even adequate? (For the record, it had already been deemed inadequate twice by the state Office of Spill Prevention and Response.) When one planning commissioner asked what the worst-case oil spill scenario was, the county energy staff and county counsel told the commissioners that it was not their purview to render an assessment on such questions such as whether Sable had submitted insurance documents and spill response plans.
Only Commissioner John Parke, known for a headstrong independent streak, voted against the transfer.
The Environmental Defense Center, which represents a coalition of environmental groups intent on stopping the old oil plant from being restarted, vowed to appeal the planning commission vote to the Board of Supervisors. There, the outcome would likely be a 2-2 vote. (Supervisor Joan Hartmann has recused herself because her property lies close to the pipeline.) In the case of a tie, the planning commission decision would stand. The real battle lies not with the county supervisors, however, but with the California Coastal Commission and State Fire Marshal, who have the ultimate say over the safety of the oil pipeline.
