California Sues to Block Sable Pipeline Restart Under Federal Order

California has filed a lawsuit to stop a federal order allowing Sable to restart oil pipelines, setting up a clash over pipeline authority and state oversight.

(P&GJ) — California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the restart of Sable Offshore Corp.’s Las Flores oil pipelines, challenging a federal order that the state says unlawfully overrides its authority over pipeline operations.

The lawsuit targets a Department of Energy directive issued under the Defense Production Act that allows Sable to resume crude oil transportation through pipelines CA-324 and CA-325 despite existing state restrictions and court orders.

RELATED: Sable Restarts California Pipeline Under Trump Emergency Order

State officials argue the order improperly bypasses permitting and oversight requirements tied to the pipelines, which have been subject to strict conditions since the 2015 Refugio oil spill.

“The fossil fuel industry says ‘Jump,’ and the Trump Administration asks, ‘How high?’,” Bonta said. “The Trump Administration and its oil industry buddies are once again violating the law and trampling on our state’s rights in pursuit of corporate profits.”

California said the pipelines cannot legally restart without approval from the State Fire Marshal, as required under a federal consent decree established after the rupture of CA-324, which released hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil along the Santa Barbara coastline.

The state also argues the federal order exceeds DOE authority by attempting to override both state law and judicial rulings, while directing private companies to enter into oil transportation contracts.

The case marks the second legal challenge by California over the Sable pipelines, following a separate dispute over federal jurisdiction and emergency approvals issued earlier this year.