Defend the coast from an unsafe oil pipeline safety exemption

Sable Offshore Corp. wants to restart the pipeline that caused the devastating 2015 Plains-All American oil spill in Santa Barbara County, which killed hundreds of birds and marine mammals and coated 150 miles of the California coastline. Not agreeing with state regulators’ position that the pipeline still needs repairs before it can safely and lawfully restart, the company went to the Trump administration to waive safety rules for this defective pipeline.

Restarting this flawed pipeline system without critical pipeline safety requirements designed to prevent corrosion and spills would threaten species across the land and the sea—endangered blue whales, Pacific leatherback sea turtles, sea otters, California red-legged frogs, and many more. The company is already facing civil claims and criminal charges in several lawsuits over environmental violations related to its rushed attempts at restart.

The Federal Government’s attempt to exert jurisdiction in California would set a dangerous nationwide precedent of stripping away a state’s rightful ability to protect its environment.

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I urge the Department of Transportation to deny Sable Offshore Corp.'s request for a special permit, which would sidestep key pipeline safety requirements. 2015 Plains-All American oil spill in Santa Barbara County released 450,000 gallons of crude oil onto our coast because of pipeline corrosion—killing hundreds of marine animals and devastating 150 miles of coastline. Now Sable wants to restart that same pipeline system without meeting safety requirements designed to prevent corrosion and another disaster. This is unacceptable.

The Santa Barbara Channel and the areas around the Las Flores Pipeline System are home to blue whales, Pacific leatherback sea turtles, southern sea otters, California red-legged frogs, Southern California steelhead, California condor, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, Southwestern willow flycatcher, Gaviota tarplant, Kern mallow, and numerous other threatened and endangered plants and animals. This “special permit” your Department is proposing to issue risks another oil spill putting wildlife and California’s coast in grave danger.

I have concerns about a pipeline that is already past its intended lifespan and has a track record of corrosion, failure and a catastrophic oil spill. Critically, California's Office of the State Fire Marshal says the pipeline still needs safety repairs to safely and lawfully restart.

Please deny this special permit. Respect California's regulatory authority. Our coast, our marine wildlife, and our communities are depending on you to make the right choice.