Happy California Ocean Day to everyone except Donald Trump and his dirty oil enablers

Since taking office, Trump has moved recklessly to open the California coast to new offshore oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades. The proposal is so reckless that it drew unified opposition from California, Oregon, and Washington, including bipartisan condemnation from coastal lawmakers.

But Trump didn’t stop there. 

Facing an energy crisis of his own making — one triggered by his own Iran War — Trump illegally invoked the Defense Production Act to attempt to force a restart of the Sable Offshore pipeline. This is a pipeline whose operators are facing criminal charges. A pipeline barred by multiple court orders from restarting. A pipeline that, the last time it operated, spilled 142,000 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach, killed thousands of birds and marine mammals, closed 138 square miles of fisheries, and left coastal communities to absorb hundreds of millions in damages, which triggered a $23.3 million settlement.

The Sable pipeline has been offline since that spill, and it is barred by a 2020 federal court order from restarting absent approval of California safety inspectors. That order also required the pipeline operator to pay more than $60 million for damages to the State’s natural resources and penalties, and to reimburse agencies for the cost of cleaning up the coast. Sable is also currently being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission for insider trading and is being sued in a class action lawsuit by shareholders.

Under SB 237 (2025), authored by Senate President pro Tem Monique Limón and Assemblymember Gregg Hart, enacted with strong bipartisan support in the Legislature, and signed by Governor Newsom, any restart must meet new, more rigorous safety requirements. These requirements exist precisely because of what happened in 2015. They are not bureaucratic obstacles. They are sensible safety measures that respond to the pipeline leak in 2015 and the devastating impacts it had on California’s coastal communities, wildlife and economy.

In January, the State Fire Marshal, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenged the Trump administration’s attempt to federalize these pipelines and bypass state oversight. In a separate case in state court in Santa Barbara, a judge has issued an injunction barring Sable from restarting until all state approvals are secured, and recently denied Sable’s request to lift that injunction. Just this month, that same court ruled that Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s Defense Production Act does not cancel out previous court rulings prohibiting the pipeline from restarting without meeting legal and safety requirements. Additionally, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney has brought criminal charges against Sable for alleged violations of California water-protection laws.

California has taken prompt legal action to enforce these binding court orders and state law against Sable, and to challenge the Trump administration’s unlawful reliance on emergency powers. A presidential executive order cannot override state law.