A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge Thursday denied a request to stop Sable Offshore Corp. from working on a pipeline tied to the Refugio oil spill.
The judge rejected the California Coastal Commission’s request for a temporary restraining order to block Sable from performing maintenance and repair work in the coastal zone.
Sable is the new owner of an offshore platform, which includes the pipeline that ruptured in 2015 and spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil near Refugio State Beach. The pipeline has been shut down ever since, but Sable is now trying to bring it back online– and has reportedly continued construction, despite multiple state orders to stop.
Alex Katz with the Environmental Defense Center– one of the groups trying to stop Sable from reactivating the pipeline– said he is disappointed the court did not grant the restraining order, which he believes was justified.
“A lot of this work, according to the Commission, is causing a lot of harm to sensitive habitats, to protected species, to streams and so on in the coastal zone here in Santa Barbara County. So this is exactly the type of situation a temporary restraining order is supposed to be for,” Katz said.
Sable told KCBX in an email that its pipeline maintenance is permitted, and it accused the Coastal Commission of overstepping its authority.
The California Coastal Commission did not respond in time for broadcast.
A hearing for a preliminary injunction is set for May 14. If granted, it could stop Sable from continuing work on the pipeline.
