There’s yet another twist in the controversy over the oil pipeline which ruptured on Santa Barbara County’s Gaviota Coast in 2015, spilling more than 140,000 gallons of oil on the coast, and in the ocean.
The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission denied a proposal to make upgrades to the damaged pipeline
It’s a complex situation.
The pipeline has been idle for nearly eight years. An affiliate of Exxon/Mobil sought a permit to add 16 automatic safety shutoff valves to the pipeline. The company says it’s legally required to add the valves as a result of a new state law.
Adding safety valves sounds like a good idea. But, opponents fear an approval would be part of an effort to repair the damaged pipeline, instead of replacing it. A coalition of environmental groups stepped up to fight the permit request.
The original owner, Plains All-American Pipeline was pursuing permits to replace it. But, it sold the damaged pipeline to an affiliate of the oil company.
Exxon/Mobil is hoping to get a pipeline operating again, because it currently has no way of moving oil from its three oil platforms off the county’s coastline.
The County Planning Commission’s no vote on the valves probably won’t mean an end to this pipeline dispute. It’s likely the decision will be appealed to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, which would have the final say.
