California Energy and Environment

Sable Offshore Corp. CEO Jim Flores says the Trump administration’s recent order under the Defense Production Act directing his company to restart the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline off Santa Barbara will boost fuel supplies during the Iran-war oil shock, arguing it could produce enough crude to fuel about 6 million cars a month and supply roughly 50 military bases in California, Nevada and Arizona. The move follows Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s directive to restore operations as Brent crude topped $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022, with the White House framing the step as necessary to reduce reliance on foreign oil. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has condemned the order as "reckless and illegal," accusing Trump and Sable of defying multiple court orders tied to a 2015 pipeline spill of more than 140,000 gallons of crude and vowing to fight the restart in court, while his office says the output would barely affect global prices but would threaten coastal environments. Flores counters that the pipeline has been substantially upgraded since the spill and insists operations would be "very safe," highlighting a familiar clash between federal wartime energy policy and California’s aggressive anti-drilling stance. The dispute comes as California’s oil production has fallen from more than 1 million barrels per day in the 1980s to roughly 250,000 barrels today, making the state more dependent on imported crude just as war-related disruptions tighten global supply.