The California Coastal Commission ordered Sable Offshore Corp. to fill open pits and do erosion control for unpermitted work sites on the Santa Barbara County oil pipeline.
Sable plans to restart operations for its three offshore platforms, processing facility and transportation pipeline. Production has been idle since the pipeline ruptured and caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
Crews were replacing sections of the coastal pipeline, installing safety valves and doing other projects in September and October. Sable claims that counts as maintenance and repairs; Coastal Commission enforcement staff alleges that requires a new permit, and ordered the company to stop work.
This week, in a cease and desist order, Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge told Sable to apply for coastal development permits and, more immediately, submit a plan to remediate damage and “button up” the work sites before the winter rainy season — fill in the open pits, for one thing.
Tuesday’s order says Sable won’t commit to applying for an after-the-fact permit for the work it has already done. However, comments at Friday’s meeting sounded like things had softened between the two parties since then.
Chief of Enforcement Lisa Haage told the commissioners she understands that Sable “intends to comply with the order,” which she appreciates, and noted that the deadlines are very short.
Haage said the excavated areas and piles of material could cause erosion at work sites and neighboring properties, including private ranches and Land Trust for Santa Barbara County parcels.
Once there’s agreement on an interim erosion control plan, the company can start work immediately, Steve Rusch, Sable’s vice president of Regulatory & Environmental Affairs, said in a statement this week.
“Restoring the excavations to their original condition will be the best way to ensure that the environment will be protected, which is the highest priority for the CCC and Sable,” he said.
Then, the commission and Sable can discuss “how to proceed with the remaining pipeline maintenance and repair work in the Coastal Zone,” he said. “We appreciate CCC staff’s engagement and efforts to work with us in trying to arrive at a solution, and share the commission’s passion for protecting the environment and coastal resources.”
Rusch said there are nine properties with exposed pipe in the Coastal Zone. After the notice of violation ordered the company to stop work, Sable moved crews to inland sections of the pipeline. They’ve been doing repairs and maintenance work to bring to the pipeline to “as new” condition, he said.
Local Reaction
The issue is a reminder of the Coastal Commission’s role protecting the coast, even in Santa Barbara, birthplace of the modern environmental movement, according to Commissioner Meagan Harmon.
“The coast is always being saved, and that is absolutely true,” said Harmon, who is a member of the Santa Barbara City Council.
“The moving thing for me is to see how effective you all have been, and how thoughtful you’ve been.”
Harmon said she hopes all parties engage in the permit process.
Several people spoke during Friday’s public comment session to oppose Sable’s restart plans. Many of them drove to the San Francisco meeting from Santa Barbara so they could address the commissioners in person.
“The county doesn’t feel it has the authority to act on this as much as they do want to,” Michal Lynch of the Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara said. “We are appealing to you — please, we need help.
“When the spill happened, it didn’t just close the beach. It closed all the beaches. It totally destroyed any tourism, but it also stank and made people who lived anywhere near the area extremely ill.”
Jeremy Frankel, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Center, thanked the Coastal Commission for filling the “jurisdictional void left by the county.”
