Sable’s Dangerous Oil Project

Almost a decade ago, a severely corroded pipeline on the Gaviota Coast ruptured and caused one of the largest oil spills in California history, devastating 150 miles of the California coast. Thousands of acres of shoreline and subtidal habitat were destroyed, and an untold number of animals were injured or killed. Following the spill, ExxonMobil’s Santa Ynez Unit – the pipeline, three offshore platforms, and two onshore processing facilities – was shut down and oil and gas production was suspended indefinitely.

Now, a fly-by-night Texas oil company called Sable Offshore is attempting to restart the same corroded pipeline that caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill without environmental review. The state Fire Marshal recently granted the company a waiver to operate the pipeline without effective protection against corrosion – the cause of the last spill.

If this project goes forward, another disaster is all but inevitable. According to an analysis prepared for Santa Barbara County, restarting the pipeline could lead to a spill once a year, and a major rupture every 4 years.