Citing concerns about losing local control, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to officially oppose the so-called Hunt Amendment, which would allow the federal government to seize land for Sable Offshore Corp.’s oil pipeline.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act in July that would allow the Pentagon to use eminent domain to seize sections of public land, including state parks, around Sable’s Santa Ynez Unit infrastructure, Noozhawk previously reported. Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt proposed the amendment, and Sable is a Texas-based company.
Sable restarted oil and gas operations in Santa Barbara County earlier this year, which includes production from offshore platforms and transportation through pipelines including the one that ruptured and caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
County supervisors voted 3-1 on Tuesday to send a letter opposing the amendment. Laura Capps, Steve Lavagnino and Roy Lee supported the letter, Bob Nelson opposed it and Joan Hartmann recused herself.
The proposal would affect the state’s and county’s ability to make sure pipelines are meeting safety guidelines, Capps said.
As she revisited pipeline safety concerns, she said Sable apparently is not halting its oil production operations as it excavates and repairs sections of pipeline.
Lavagnino said he normally would abstain from taking a side on federal legislation, but this directly affects the county, he said.
“I believe in local control over local land use,” he said, and voted to send the opposition letter.
Lee also voted to send the letter and did not make any comments.
Nelson voted against sending the opposition letter. He said some state agencies and environmental nonprofit organizations are “not necessarily operating in good faith” with the Sable pipeline operations.
Some people “are using litigation warfare to try to stop their operations,” Nelson said. He also said both sides “pull out tools” in this conflict and Sable in this case pulled out a lawful congressional amendment.
Hartmann has been recusing herself from Sable-related items because of concerns about a potential conflict of interest since the pipeline comes near her property. She said the county has reached out to the Fair Political Practices Commission for clarification on this but has not had a response yet.
Congressman Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, attended the Board of Supervisors meeting to encourage members to send the opposition letter.
The Hunt Amendment could undermine county and state environmental protections, and that its passage would set “terrible precedent,” said Carbajal, who is a former county supervisor. The federal government would be able to seize public lands through eminent domain for a private company, and a private interest, he said.
The federal government used the Defense Production Act to justify calling for the pipeline restart, he noted, and “apparently that was not enough” for Sable.
The U.S. Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act under consideration right now does not include the Hunt Amendment, Carbajal noted. “So I’m happy and hopeful that will carry through to the end.”
Several members of the public and representatives of environmental groups spoke during public comment or submitted letters encouraging the board to oppose the Hunt Amendment.
That included people from the Surfrider Foundation, the Environmental Defense Center, Oceana, SBCAN and 805 Action youth activists.
The EDC and other environmental groups sued the federal government Tuesday to challenge the permit allowing Sable operations. There are several pending lawsuits regarding pipeline operations and a court injunction that Sable allegedly violated by restarting.
