On May 19, 2015, a corroded oil pipeline off the coast of Southern California released more than 120,000 gallons of oil near Refugio State Beach. The oil traveled as far as Orange County, closing fisheries, killing wildlife, and costing hundreds of millions to clean up.
Not long after the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill, Plains All American — who owned the corroded pipeline that prior to the spill was used to transfer ExxonMobil's crude oil — shuttered use of the pipeline. In 2024, Texas-based Oil Giant Sable Offshore Corp. bought the crumbling pipeline and announced that they planned to restart oil extraction.
In keeping with Big Oil's consistent — if terrifying — tradition of showing zero concern for Americans, our coastlines, or our economic and environmental wellbeing: Sable Offshore Corp. has been served twice with cease and desist orders for operating in the coastal zone without proper approval.
In 2024, California lawmakers, including JanePAC-backed State Sen. Monique Limon (D-Santa Barbara), wrote a letter to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection expressing concern about the project and asking for more transparency.
In spite of the cease and desists, and calls from local and environmental groups, Sable claims the line, now owned by ExxonMobil, has been "modernized" and is bulldozing forward with plans to move crude through the line.
Let's be clear: retrofitting a corroded pipeline with a history of failure is high risk for Californians, and low reward for everyone but Big Oil.
Period.
Watch this space for future actions to encourage Gov. Newsom to protect Californians, and our coastline.
Read More:
NOAA | Refugio Beach Oil Spill | Undated
Los Angeles Times | Nearly 10 years after California oil spill, plan to reactivate pipeline sparks anger | October 14, 2024
Santa Barbara Independent | Update: Sable Sues Coastal Commission After Being Hit with Second Cease-and-Desist Order | February 18, 2025
Fox11 | Jane Fonda: Newsom is Chamberlain, not Churchill | March 13, 2025
Share this post