Don't Enable Sable - Stop the Oil Restart is a priority campaign for Surfrider in California this year. The goal is to stop the restart of the offshore oil rigs in the Santa Barbara Channel that were taken offline after the 2015 Plains All American pipeline spill.
Texas-based oil company Sable Offshore continues to push forward with plans to restart oil production from the three platforms of the Santa Ynez Unit and convey the oil through the same corroded pipeline responsible for the devastating 2015 oil spill. The Santa Barbara Independent recently posted this great overview of the issue and campaign. Surfrider is part of a broad coalition of groups working on the campaign.
In December, the California State Fire Marshal granted Sable Offshore a waiver for the pipeline’s cathodic protection system. In doing so, the agency helped advance Sable’s efforts to reactivate oil production in the Santa Ynez Unit, which threatens the precious ecosystems of the Santa Barbara Channel and the surrounding communities. It should be noted that President Biden’s recent executive action to ban offshore oil development by prohibiting new drilling leases does not affect Sable’s existing leases and operations.
Together we uphold that the approval of the state waiver should be suspended until State agencies carry out a full oversight and environmental review of the restart project. We invite community members to take action by expressing their disapproval of the waiver’s issuance and the project’s advancement to Governor Gavin Newsom and California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot.
The public can also provide comments at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting tentatively scheduled for February 25. During this meeting, the County Board of Supervisors will consider an appeal of the transfer of pipeline permits from Exxon Mobil to Sable Offshore that was approved by the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission in October of 2024.
There are a few ways to get involved to help stop this risky oil pipeline restart:
- We invite community members to take action by calling Governor Gavin Newsom (916-445-2841) to: 1. Demand that the Fire Marshal hold a formal public hearing and, 2. Publicly support Coastal Commission authority over the restart of the pipeline by requiring Sable to apply for a coastal development permit.
- Call Secretary Wade Crowfoot (916-653-5656) to share your concerns. Secretary Crowfoot leads the California Natural Resources Agency, which directly supervises CAL FIRE.
- Attend the tentative February 25 Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors meeting in person. It will take place in the Santa Barbara County Administration Building Board Hearing Room, Fourth Floor, 105 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara.
- Submit written public comment via email prior to 5:00 PM on the day prior to the February 25 Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors meeting. Email comments to: sbcob@countyofsb.org. Your comments will be distributed to the Board and posted online.
- Participate in the February 25th SB BoS meeting by Zoom. Check for meeting details on the County of Santa Barbara’s meeting calendar and find links to register in advance if you would like to provide verbal public comments
- Participate in the February 5th California Coastal Commission meeting in Long Beach. Urge the Coastal Commission to stand strong and continue to enforce the law to keep destructive activities from happening in the precious coastal area without required permits and environmental review. RSVP here to join us (in person or virtually).
Talking points to consider sharing with your personal perspective:
– CAL FIRE has granted a state waiver to Sable that will accelerate development on a dangerous oil pipeline. This poses grave threats to California and Santa Barbara communities and natural resources and should not have happened on your watch.
– I’m extremely disappointed that a pivotal decision was made by CAL FIRE without any meaningful public engagement process.
– Explain why you feel that it is important to protect the Gaviota Coast from another oil spill.
– We need a proper environmental review and public engagement process. Please do not allow this unacceptable fast-tracking of reactivated oil and gas operations to continue.