Oil has begun to flow from a controversial California pipeline system for the first time in an more than decade following a Trump administration order, despite state officials decrying the move.
Sable Offshore Corporation, the Houston-based owner of the coastal pipelines, announced on Monday that offshore oil was now flowing through its Santa Ynez unit and Santa Ynez pipeline system, which runs through several California counties.
The pipeline had been closed since 2015, after a burst pipe caused a massive oil spill, one of California’s worst to date. Hundreds of animals, including birds and marine wildlife, died after being coated in crude oil.
Sable, which took over ownership of the pipeline from ExxonMobile in 2024, has been attempting to restart its offshore oil production for over a year but has failed to secure necessary permits from California regulators.
On Friday, however, Donald Trump ordered the pipeline to reopen regardless of regulator approval, citing energy needs amid the war on Iran. Trump, along with the US energy secretary, Chris Wright, invoked emergency powers granted in the Defense Production Act (DPA), a cold-war era policy.
“The Trump administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,” said Wright in a statement.
“Unfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to those same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also our national security. Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that west coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.”
Jim Flores, Sable’s chair and chief executive, said in a statement: “We look forward to working closely with the Department of Energy in fully complying with the DPA and working with the Trump administration to take all necessary steps to deliver the energy necessary for the security and defense of the country.”
California officials have been quick to condemn the latest reopening.
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has threatened to sue the Trump administration and Sable over the pipeline’s reopening.
“Donald Trump started a war, admitted it would spike gas prices nationwide, and told Americans it was a small price to pay,” said Newsom in a statement.
“Now he’s using this crisis of his own making to attempt what he’s wanted to do for years: open California’s coast for his oil industry friends so they can poison our beaches.”
The California department of parks and recreation sent Sable Offshore a notice on Saturday to “immediately remove the pipeline” and denied the company “an easement to continue to use Gaviota state park for its oil pipeline operations”.
The US-Israel war on Iran has caused the price of oil and gas to spike. Analysts say the conflict is creating one of the most significant disruptions to the oil markets to date.
The International Energy Agency (IEA), which provides analysis on global energy supplies, ordered the largest release of government reserves in its history on Wednesday.
Beyond the Iran war, the Trump administration has long pledged to allow oil and gas drilling off California’s cost. A draft proposal, first reported by the Washington Post, included six offshore lease sales between 2027 to 2030 as well as an increase in drilling within the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The Guardian has contacted Gavin Newsom’s office for comment.
