The latest twist in the legal and regulatory saga that has plagued Sable Offshore’s attempts to revamp oil operations on the Gaviota Coast proved not to be a twist at all. In fact, on April 17, Sable was given the green light to keep doing exactly what they’re already doing.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta unsuccessfully requested that a Santa Barbara Superior Court judge issue a temporary restraining order on the Texas-based oil company for defying a cease-and-desist order issued last week by the California Coastal Commission. Sable has been conducting allegedly unpermitted work to restart coastal oil pipelines involved in the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill for months, resulting in numerous notices of violation, an $18 million penalty, and three cease-and-desist orders, two of which were not complied with.
Bonta also filed a cross-complaint on behalf of the Coastal Commission against Sable, which sued the agency in February after the commission issued its second cease-and-desist order. Sable contends that these orders are an unlawful overreach of the commission’s jurisdiction. The matter was given the go-ahead to move forward by Judge Thomas Anderle, who will hear arguments regarding a preliminary injunction against Sable on May 14.
Sable has long relied on the county’s February 12 letter declaring that all work conducted in the coastal zone is authorized under existing permits issued to the pipelines’ previous owner in the 1980s. Only Santa Barbara County has jurisdiction over the pipeline work, Sable contends, not the Coastal Commission. However, the county claims that an August 2024 settlement agreement with Sable preempted them from having jurisdiction over underground activities related to the pipeline. The Coastal Commission vehemently disagrees with this determination and has since accused the county of withholding relevant information and failing to enforce the Coastal Act.
Initially, Judge Anderle planned on granting the restraining order at Bonta’s request in his tentative ruling. However, his opinion changed after reading Sable’s opposition documents in the courtroom on April 17.
“Sable Offshore has long held that its repair and maintenance work is fully authorized by existing permits approved by both Santa Barbara County and the California Coastal Commission,” said Steve Rusch, Sable’s vice president of environmental and governmental affairs, in a statement. “The commission once again sought to overstep its jurisdiction and shut down hundreds of jobs. We’re pleased the court rejected the commission’s unreasonable request.”
Sable’s attorneys argued that “irreparable harm” would come to Sable if the restraining order were issued. In a declaration to the court, Rusch estimated that 75 jobs would be immediately lost, and the company would lose roughly $2.5 million per week if forced to stop work.
“Why, all of a sudden at the end of [Sable’s] repair and maintenance activities, is the Coastal Commission purporting their hair is on fire now requiring a [temporary restraining order]?” Sable’s opposition document read. The oil company argues that the commission should’ve gone down the legal route when they were first made aware of Sable’s activities in the coastal zone in September 2024, instead of delaying until the “eleventh hour” with notices of violation and cease-and-desist orders.
In a statement to the Independent, a spokesperson for the Coastal Commission said, “Litigation is a last resort. We prefer to exhaust our administrative remedies before taking that step.”
“The potential danger to sensitive coastal resources — and thus the economic and social well-being of the public — far outweighs any temporary economic harm Sable may suffer during the pendency of this case,” read the Coastal Commission’s court documents.
“Sable can challenge a cease-and-desist order by seeking judicial review or a stay of the order,” said Kevin Kelly, a deputy attorney general with Bonta’s office. “They cannot simply violate an order that they think was improperly issued.”
For months, state legislators, regulatory agencies, and environmentalists have called on California’s Attorney General to assist with Sable Offshore’s ongoing enforcement issues. The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is meeting this Thursday, April 17, to address additional violations by Sable and vote to add itself to the growing list of agencies asking for Bonta to step in.
While Judge Anderle did not grant an immediate restraining order, he will hear arguments for a preliminary injunction on May 14. In the meantime, Sable will continue to work in the coastal zone. Rusch’s declaration states that only 22 pipeline anomalies are left to repair, which will take about six weeks to complete. At that rate, there may be no construction work remaining by the time the injunction is argued.
