Take action today to call on Governor Newsom and CA State Parks for full environmental review for a new easement in Gaviota State Park for the oil pipeline that spilled in 2015.
Sable, an oil company from Texas, is attempting to bring back a huge oil and gas operation on the Central Coast, including three old offshore drilling platforms and a notorious pipeline running through Gaviota State Park—the same pipeline responsible for the Plains oil spill disaster just 10 years ago.
Yes, this is the same company that was hit with a record $18 million fine for digging up sensitive habitats along the coast in violation of cease-and-desist orders from the Coastal Commission. It’s the same company that is now being sued by the State Attorney General. And it’s the same company that was just charged with 21 crimes by the Santa Barbara County DA, including five felony counts of knowingly poisoning local waterways.
And yet, Sable is still asking State Parks for an easement to operate the pipeline through Gaviota State Park, home to iconic wild places including coastal bluffs, estuaries, and creeks, important cultural resources, and diverse species including bobcats, steelhead, and red-legged frogs.
As our friends at the Environmental Defense Center laid out in a letter to State Parks, the agency must conduct a full environmental review and allow for a transparent, public process before even considering a new easement for Sable. This week, the State Parks Commission will be meeting in Sacramento. Although this project is not on the agenda, we can make our voices heard.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP
- COMMENT IN PERSON: Are you in Sacramento or nearby? Join the State Parks Commission meeting Thursday, September 25.
- 8:30AM: Gather in front of Marriott and get your red “Don’t Enable Sable” t-shirt. (Springhill Suites by Marriott, 3455 Reed Ave, West Sacramento, CA 95606)
- 9:00 AM: Hearing starts (agenda)
- COMMENT VIRTUALLY: Register in advance to speak virtually during the public comment period (Item #6).
- CALL: State Parks and Governor Gavin Newsom's offices directly using this call script to deliver a clear message: No Pipeline through Gaviota without environmental review.
TALKING POINTS:
- Granting Sable an easement to operate this pipeline through Gaviota State Park will create an unacceptable risk of another oil spill and will have severe impacts to sensitive and unique biological, cultural, and recreational resources.
- Sable has openly ignored cease-and-desist orders from the Coastal Commission, racked up multiple notices of violation from other agencies, and just last week the Santa Barbara County District Attorney charged the company with 21 criminal charges including five felonies. Sable has not shown that it will be able to safely and responsibly operate in the park, or that it deserves to be entrusted with our public lands.
- The potential impacts of restarting this failed pipeline have, to date, not been evaluated. In considering Sable’s easement request, we urge State Parks to conduct a full environmental review, as required by law.
- In light of the immense public interest in this matter, we ask that State Parks conduct a transparent, public process as required by law, including a public hearing, preferably in Santa Barbara.