California Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Takeover of Sable Pipelines
California has sued federal regulators over orders allowing Sable Offshore to restart two long-idle oil pipelines, escalating a battle over state versus federal authority in pipeline safety oversight.
(P&GJ) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit challenging federal orders that assert exclusive jurisdiction over two California onshore oil pipelines and allow their restart after a decade-long shutdown, escalating a dispute over pipeline oversight and safety regulation.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, targets orders issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration that reclassified the Las Flores pipelines — also known as lines CA-324 and CA-325 — as interstate facilities. The reclassification shifted regulatory authority from California to the federal government and cleared the way for Sable Offshore Corp. to resume oil transport through the lines.
California argues the pipelines, which run entirely within the state from Santa Barbara County to Kern County, were improperly federalized to bypass state oversight. Prior to December 2025, the lines were regulated as intrastate pipelines under California safety jurisdiction.
“In its latest unlawful power grab, the Trump Administration is illegally claiming exclusive federal authority over two of California's onshore pipelines,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “California has seen first-hand the devastating environmental and public health impacts of coastal oil spills — yet the Trump Administration will stop at nothing to evade state regulation which protects against these very disasters.”
The state is asking the court to overturn PHMSA’s orders approving Sable Offshore’s restart plan and granting an emergency permit tied to a presidential “National Energy Emergency” declaration. California contends the orders violate the Administrative Procedure Act and contradict prior federal commitments recognizing the state’s regulatory role.
“The Office of the State Fire Marshal is committed to its mission to protect the people, property, and natural resources of California,” said State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant. “Our team has worked diligently to uphold the terms of the consent decree and ensure the safety of lines CA 324 and CA 325.”
The pipelines have remained idle since the 2015 Refugio Beach oil spill, when a corroded segment ruptured and released hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil along the Santa Barbara coastline. That incident led to a consent decree — signed by both California and PHMSA — requiring state approval before any restart of the system.
California argues PHMSA’s recent actions represent a sharp departure from that agreement and from the agency’s historical treatment of the pipelines as intrastate assets subject to state safety enforcement.