Clean and Healthy California Issues Statement Condemning Trump’s Pipeline Power Grab and Applauding State Leaders for Fighting Back

Sacramento, CA –– On March 13, the Trump Administration invoked the Defense Production Act in an attempt to override state regulators and various court orders to compel the restart of a set of oil platforms off the Santa Barbara coast and its associated pipeline system.

The action disregards California law, setting a precedent that could be wielded against other states. The pipeline at issue, owned by Sable Offshore Corp., had been shut down since causing a massive oil spill in 2015.

Governor Newsom issued a searing statement condemning Trump’s “desperate, reckless, and illegal” moves, and state leaders have responded vigorously to defend the state’s authority to protect its own coastline.

• Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency motion challenging the legality of the Trump Administration’s restart order.

• California State Parks issued a letter denying Sable’s request for an easement through Gaviota State Park and demanding that Sable immediately remove its pipeline infrastructure from the park.

• The California State Lands Commission held an emergency meeting, authorizing litigation to defend the legal agreement that followed the 2015 spill and empowering staff to take any other steps necessary to protect the interests of the State, including potentially terminating Sable’s leases.

Clean and Healthy California (formerly Campaign for a Safe and Healthy California) issued the following statement:

Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta have our full support in fighting Trump’s outrageous pipeline power grab. They understand the gravity of the threat, not only to the economy, ecosystems, and communities of the Central Coast, but also to our state’s––and any state’s––very authority to protect our residents and our environment.

This defective pipeline cannot be allowed to restart, and this dangerous federal overreach cannot be allowed to stand. State leaders are right to use every available tool to fight back.