California sued the Trump administration on Friday for approving Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp.’s plans to restart two oil pipelines along the state’s coast, escalating a dispute over federal authority to override state regulation of facilities in California’s jurisdictional waters. Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta said the federal administration “has no right to usurp California’s regulatory authority.” The Trump administration, through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, defended the approval, saying it would bring “much needed American energy to a state with the highest gas prices in the country.”
The lawsuit reflects a broader clash between the Trump administration’s push to expand offshore oil and gas development and California’s long-term effort to phase out fossil fuel operations. The dispute centers on the same offshore area where a 2015 pipeline rupture spilled more than 140,000 gallons of crude oil along the coast, the state’s worst environmental disaster in decades.
The Lawsuit
California’s suit centers on two pipelines that run through state-regulated waters near Santa Barbara. Bonta said one of the pipelines is the same facility that ruptured in 2015. State officials contend that Sable’s restart plan requires approval from California authorities, which the company has not obtained. The Trump administration approved the project through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, a federal agency claiming jurisdiction over these facilities in interstate commerce.
The 2015 Spill and Its Aftermath
The pipeline that failed in 2015 released more than 140,000 gallons of crude oil across one of California’s richest coastal ecosystems. Beaches blackened for 150 miles from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. The spill killed scores of pelicans, seals and dolphins and polluted critical habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles. Fishing communities across the region shut down as the disaster unfolded.
California ordered the drilling platforms shuttered following the environmental catastrophe. The state has pursued an aggressive transition away from fossil fuel production, investing in clean energy alternatives and encouraging local governments to phase out oil and gas operations.
Reversing Course on Drilling Restrictions
The Trump administration’s position represents a reversal from the prior administration’s environmental policy. Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to reverse Biden’s ban on future offshore oil drilling on the East and West coasts. A federal court subsequently struck down Biden’s order to withdraw 625 million acres of federal waters from oil development.
The Trump administration announced plans in November for new offshore oil drilling off California and Florida coasts, a move the oil industry has supported for years.
The Federal-State Divide
The jurisdictional dispute underscores deeper tensions over oil extraction. California controls waters within 3 miles of shore, while Sable’s platforms operate 5 to 9 miles offshore, placing them largely beyond state regulatory reach. The company has indicated it would confine operations to federal waters if necessary to avoid state oversight.
A spokesperson for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said restarting the facility is critical. “Restarting the Las Flores Pipeline will bring much needed American energy to a state with the highest gas prices in the country,” the agency said.
Opposition From Communities and Environmentalists
Critics of the restart argue that the proposal disregards lessons from the 2015 spill. Alex Katz, executive director of the Environmental Defense Center, a Santa Barbara group formed after the region’s 1969 oil spill, said “It’s crazy that we are even talking about restarting this pipeline.”
California Assemblymember Gregg Hart, a Democrat representing Santa Barbara, affirmed the state’s commitment to its environmental standards. “California will not allow Trump and his Big Oil friends to bypass our essential environmental laws and threaten our coastline,” Hart said.
Santa Barbara County has reinforced its commitment to phasing out fossil fuel extraction. County officials voted in May 2025 to begin dismantling onshore oil and gas operations, marking the region’s most aggressive shift toward clean energy.