Press Room

Read EDC’s recent and historical press releases, editorials, and reports.

Environmental, business, and community leaders call on Newsom administration to stop dangerous offshore oil project

March 17, 2025

entral Coast environmental groups, elected officials, business leaders, and high-profile activists including Jane Fonda, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert held a press conference on Thursday, March 13, to demand that state agencies step up to protect the California coast and communities from another disastrous oil spill. Speakers at the press conference hosted by the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) called out Sable Offshore Corp., a new Texas oil company, for its plans to restart oil and gas drilling off the Gaviota Coast using the same defective pipeline that caused the Refugio oil spill 10 years ago. Speakers also demanded that the state conduct a full environmental review of the project and allow for public input as required by law. So far, the project has moved forward with zero environmental review or formal public input.

Environmental Groups Applaud County Board Decision to NOT Transfer Permits for Dangerous Oil Project

February 25, 2025

Environmental groups including the Environmental Defense Center and its clients applauded a Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decision on Tuesday to NOT approve the transfer of permits to operate defective and highly dangerous oil and gas equipment on the Gaviota Coast. Sable Offshore Corp., a new Texas oil company, applied to take over permits for equipment formerly owned by ExxonMobil, including two huge fossil fuel processing stations and a failed pipeline that broke 10 years ago, causing one of the largest oil spills in California history. Hundreds of people including many UCSB students attended the hearing on Tuesday wearing “Don’t Enable Sable” stickers to oppose the transfer. Speakers pointed out that Sable has not demonstrated the financial ability to deal with another spill, cannot be trusted to operate the equipment responsibly, and cannot comply with the permit conditions requiring effective corrosion protection for the pipeline – all of which are conditions for transfer of the permits.

The Board’s 2-2 vote means the company’s application was not approved and the transfer of permits will not happen. Without permits, Sable cannot operate the facilities unless it works out an agreement with Exxon – plus the company still needs approvals from multiple state agencies.

California Allows Dangerous Santa Barbara Oil Project to Move Forward

December 19, 2024

Plans to restart the failed Plains pipeline – the same one that caused a massive oil spill on the Central Coast almost ten years ago – got a major push forward this week from the California State Fire Marshal. The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) approved a waiver allowing the pipeline to operate without effective protection against corrosion, according to a filing by Sable, the Texas oil company attempting to restart a massive drilling and processing operation in Santa Barbara County formerly owned by ExxonMobil. The decision, made without public input or environmental review, is a critical step forward for the company’s plans to restart the three offshore platforms, two onshore processing facilities, and other equipment known as the Santa Ynez Unit on the Gaviota Coast.

EDC Appeals to County Supervisors to Deny Permits for Dangerous Oil Plan

November 07, 2024

The Environmental Defense Center and its clients today appealed to the County Board of Supervisors to deny permits for a massive oil drilling and processing operation on the Gaviota Coast, which includes the same failed pipeline that already caused one of the worst oil spills in California history. Last week, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved the transfer of permits to Sable Offshore, a new Texas oil company that is attempting to restart three offshore drilling platforms, onshore processing facilities, and pipelines formerly owned by ExxonMobil.

Environmental Groups Disappointed by County Decision to Empower Sable

October 30, 2024

Santa Barbara, CA – On Wednesday, October 30, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted to transfer oil permits for equipment formerly owned by ExxonMobil on the Gaviota Coast to a new Texas oil company called Sable Offshore. The equipment includes the corroded pipeline that failed in 2015 and caused the devastating Refugio oil spill. A coalition of Central Coast environmental groups and community members opposed the transfer at the Commission hearing. Speakers pointed out that Sable has not demonstrated the financial ability to deal with another spill, does not have an approved Oil Spill Contingency Plan, and cannot be trusted to operate the equipment responsibly – all of which are conditions for transfer of the permits. However, based on the advice of staff, Commissioners still voted 3-1 to transfer the permits.

Environmental Defense Center, State Legislators call for environmental review and public hearings on restart of failed oil pipeline

October 02, 2024

Plans to restart a failed pipeline that caused one of the worst oil spills in recent California history must be put on hold while the state conducts environmental review and holds public hearings, according to state legislators and the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit Environmental Defense Center (EDC). In letters sent last Friday, EDC and 13 legislators representing coastal communities called on the State Fire Marshal to conduct environmental review as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before signing off on the plan to restart the former Plains pipeline on the Gaviota Coast – the same pipeline that ruptured and caused the Refugio oil spill in 2015.

Environmental Defense Center Welcomes New Board Members

August 22, 2024

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC), one of the nation’s longest-running nonprofit environmental law firms working to protect the Central Coast and the Earth’s climate, today announced three new high profile board members in the areas of science, public health, environmental law. Joining EDC’s Board of Directors in recent months are Dr. Jai Ranganathan, an ecologist and data scientist; Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, the former head of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department; and Antonette (Toni) Cordero, a leading civil rights and environmental justice attorney in California.

Environmental Defense Center Stops Sable Offshore Oil Corporation from Concealing Oil Spill Plan

August 20, 2024

A Superior Court judge ruled today that the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) is entitled to receive an oil company document outlining the dangers of restarting the former Plains pipeline – the same pipeline that caused the catastrophic Refugio oil spill in 2015. Sable Offshore, a Texas-based oil company attempting to restart the failed pipeline, sued the State of California and EDC in an attempt to prevent EDC from receiving a copy of the document. Today the Sacramento County Superior Court held a hearing on Sable’s request for a preliminary injunction. The Court ruled that there were no binding legal impediments to the State releasing the information to the public and denied the request.

Sable Offshore Sues the State and the Nonprofit Environmental Defense Center to Stop Public from Knowing About Risks of Oil Project

August 15, 2024

Sable Offshore Corp., a Texas oil company attempting to restart a failed pipeline that caused one of worst oil spills in recent California history, has sued the State of California and a Santa Barbara-based environmental nonprofit to conceal information about the dangers of its plan. The Environmental Defense Center (EDC), one of the longest-running nonprofit environmental law firms in the nation, has been fighting to stop the restart of the pipeline and other equipment formerly owned by ExxonMobil, including three offshore drilling platforms shut down since the catastrophic 2015 Refugio spill.

Environmental Defense Center Welcomes New Staff Members

July 01, 2024

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) – one of the nation’s longest-running nonprofit environmental law firms working to protect the California coast, natural resources, and the earth’s climate – has added three highly qualified new staff members to its team. Jeremy Frankel, a Goleta native, has joined the legal team as a Staff Attorney. Matt Campa, who was serving as a Legal Fellow with EDC, is starting in a new position: Staff Attorney/Environmental Justice Program Outreach Coordinator. And Brandi Webber, a long time Santa Barbara resident, has filled the position of Office Manager & Event Coordinator. The new hires support the organization’s long-term goals to defend nature and advance environmental justice on the Central Coast.

Environmental Defense Center to Honor Hillary Hauser of Heal the Ocean with 2024 Environmental Hero Award

May 20, 2024

The Environmental Defense Center – one of the nation’s longest-running nonprofit law firms working to protect California’s coast and the earth’s climate – today announced that its 2024 Environmental Hero award will be presented to Hillary Hauser at the organization’s annual event on Sunday, June 9^th. Ms. Hauser is the founder and Executive Director of Santa Barbara nonprofit Heal the Ocean (HTO), which focuses on wastewater infrastructure (sewers and septic systems) and on protecting the marine environment from dumping and other forms of pollution. Ms. Hauser will accept the award at EDC’s annual fundraising event, Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration, on June 9th at the Stow House in Goleta, CA. Prior recipients of the Environmental Hero award include Jane Fonda, Northern Chumash Tribal Council leader Violent Sage Walker, and Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard.

Legal Fight to Preserve Agricultural Heritage in Santa Ynez Valley Ends in Success

March 25, 2024

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) and Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) celebrated the withdrawal of an appeal by developers, leaving in place a Superior Court decision in favor of preserving agriculture in the Santa Ynez Valley. The multi-year effort by developers to subdivide the 4,000-acre historic Rancho La Laguna into 13 parcels could have resulted in construction of over a dozen high-end residential estates. The owners of Rancho La Laguna, including a Hollywood producer, sued the County in 2017 after the Board of Supervisors denied the subdivision. EDC, on behalf of SBCAN, intervened in the lawsuit to defend the County’s action. In 2023, a Santa Barbara Superior Court ruled against the developers in their lawsuit, upholding the County’s denial of Rancho La Laguna’s proposal to subdivide. The developers appealed the Superior Court’s decision, but they have now withdrawn the appeal, formally ending the litigation.

ExxonMobil Drops Court Bid to Truck Oil in Santa Barbara

February 16, 2024

ExxonMobil’s dangerous proposal to truck massive amounts of oil along California highways is dead after the company dropped its lawsuit challenging Santa Barbara County’s denial of the plan. Exxon’s plan would have helped the company restart three drilling platforms off the Santa Barbara coast. The platforms, built in the 1980s, have been shut down since the disastrous 2015 Refugio oil spill that leaked more than 140,000 gallons of heavy crude on the Gaviota Coast and into the ocean. Exxon notified the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California late Thursday that the company is dismissing its lawsuit.

Court Approves Settlement Between Environmental Groups and Twitchell Dam Operator to Protect Endangered Steelhead

October 13, 2023

On October 12, a federal court approved a settlement agreement that will help the endangered Southern California Steelhead make a comeback in Santa Barbara County by allowing more water to flow into the Santa Maria River.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in 2019 by environmental groups alleging that the operators of Twitchell Dam violated the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) by cutting off the flow of water into important Steelhead habitat. Prior to the Dam’s construction, thousands of Steelhead migrated from the ocean to upstream spawning grounds. But without enough water, the fish become stranded in dry riverbeds, and the local population has cratered.

Supreme Court Decision Upholds Ruling that Twitchell Dam Operators Must Comply with Federal Law to Protect Endangered Fish

October 02, 2023

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a request from the operators of Twitchell Dam to avoid protecting the endangered Southern California Steelhead in the Santa Maria River system. This is a big win for steelhead, for the watershed, and for our local communities. The decision leaves in place last year’s ruling by the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals holding that the Bureau of Reclamation and the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District can release water from the Dam to comply with the ESA. This ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by Plaintiffs San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper and Los Padres ForestWatch in 2019, represented by the Environmental Defense Center, Sycamore Law, Inc., and Aqua Terra Aeris Law Group. The case alleged that the Dam’s operators are violating the Endangered Species Act by limiting the quantity and timing of flows in the Santa Maria River to levels that harm the critically-imperiled Steelhead population.

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