Opposition to restarting the Refugio pipeline is growing ahead of a hearing this month challenging the transfer of permits needed to restart operations.
Environmental groups and local governments continue to push back against Texas-based Sable Offshore’s plans to reactivate an oil pipeline that runs along the Gaviota Coast. The pipeline has been shut down since 2015, when it spilled over 100,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific. ExxonMobil sold the pipeline to Sable in 2024.
The Environmental Defense Center and the Center for Biological Diversity have appealed Santa Barbara County’s decision to transfer permits to Sable. The County Board of Supervisors is set to hear the appeals on Feb. 25.
Last week, The City of Goleta Goleta passed a resolution opposing the pipeline.
“We are in opposition because we feel that it is not safe to restart this failed pipeline,” Goleta Councilmember Luz Reyes-Martín said. “It would present a huge environmental risk to our area and to our city.”
Sable did not respond to KCBX’s request for comment in time for broadcast.
