The U.S. Department of Justice issued a legal ruling that could help a company bypass local and state regulations to restart the Santa Barbara County oil pipeline, which ruptured in 2015.
The accident caused a 140,000-gallon oil spill on the Gaviota Coast. Sable Offshore Corporation's efforts to bring the repaired pipeline back online have encountered several regulatory and legal challenges.
Sable needs the pipeline to put three oil platforms off the Santa Barbara County coastline back into operation.
But, a coalition of opponents contends restarting the decades-old system would lead to another environmental disaster. When Sable hit roadblocks at the state level, the company argued that federal regulators should oversee the pipeline . A federal agency approved the restart plan. Then, a judge agreed with opponents that the state should be making the key decisions.
Now, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a ruling, saying that the President can use the Defense Production Act to bypass state and local regulations. The law was adopted in 1950 in response to the Korean War. It allows the President to cut through regulations during times of national crisis.
President Trump used it during his first term to push production of ventilators and personal protective gear during the COVID-19 crisis. President Biden used it multiple times, including in 2021 to increase production of fire hoses during a string of California wildfires.
Linda Krop, the Chief Counsel for Santa Barbara’s Environmental Defense Center, said if it happens, it would be a staggering abuse of executive power and that it would directly threaten the region’s environment.
