The legal siege against Sable Offshore Corp. intensified Thursday as local environmental groups and the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation announced they will join the State of California in a direct challenge to the Trump administration’s “national security” push to keep Santa Barbara oil flowing.
The move marks a significant escalation in the battle over Lines CA-324 and CA-325. Representatives from the Environmental Defense Center (EDC), the Center for Biological Diversity, and Earthjustice gathered at Shoreline Park on May 7 to declare their intent to intervene in the federal lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE).
The activists are reinforcing California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s motion for a preliminary injunction. Bonta has been vocal in his opposition to the federal “greenlight” of the pipelines, calling the use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) a transparent “bailout” for the energy sector.
Tribal Nations Stand Ground
A powerful new front in this battle emerged Thursday as the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation officially joined the coalition. For indigenous leaders, the federal government’s bypass of safety regulations isn’t just a policy dispute—it’s a violation of sacred territory.
“This is our home. This is where our ancestors are buried,” said Mati Waiya, chairman of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation. Waiya described the federal government’s use of emergency powers to restart the corroded lines as a “defense act of war” against the environment and his people.
“We are listening to the waves and the voices of our ancestors warning us of the disaster that could happen,” Waiya told the crowd at Shoreline Park. His message underscored a growing sentiment that the federal government is prioritizing energy production over the cultural and physical safety of the California coast.
This intervention follows ScopeWeekly’s March 17 report on the Trump administration’s unprecedented use of the DPA to override state environmental laws. While the federal government claims the restart is essential due to global supply disruptions, local advocates argue the move sidesteps critical safety standards.
“This is not about public need. This is about the profit of Big Oil above all else,” said Izzi Sistek, a UC Santa Barbara student and protest organizer. “To not listen to the people, the ocean, the land, and have someone come in from the other side of the country and create an executive order out of greed… it’s unacceptable.”
While Sable restarted the pumps in March, it did so in defiance of a Santa Barbara Superior Court preliminary injunction. As ScopeWeekly covered in April, Judge Donna Geck recently ruled that federal executive orders do not supersede her court’s authority.
The legal pressure on the Texas-based Sable Offshore is mounting. A critical contempt hearing is scheduled for May 22 in Santa Barbara. Environmental groups will ask Judge Geck to find the company in contempt for failing to give the court the mandatory 10-day notice before restarting.
Talia Nimmer, a staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, warned that the infrastructure remains a ticking time bomb. “This pipeline actually still suffers from those corrosion issues,” Nimmer said. “Restarting these pipelines… significantly puts our wildlife, our residents, and our coast in jeopardy.”
This isn’t just a local dispute over a pipeline; it is a fundamental collision between state sovereignty, tribal rights, and federal executive power. If the Trump administration successfully uses the DPA to bypass state-level safety laws, it sets a precedent that could allow the federal government to “greenlight” high-risk industrial projects anywhere in the country. For California, the stakes include $18 million in unpaid Coastal Commission fines and the very real threat of a repeat of the 2015 Refugio disaster.
Stay updated on the evolving legal battle at ScopeWeekly.com.
Feature photo: From left, Brady Bradshaw with the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund; Mati Waiya, chairman of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation; Linda Krop, chief counsel with Environmental Defense Center; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff; Rep. Salud Carbajal; and State Assemblyman Gregg Hart at a press conference on Thursday. Local leaders have announced new efforts to stop Sable Offshore Corp. oil production, which restarted off the coast of Santa Barbara County in March. Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo
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