In the latest attempt to stop Sable Offshore Corp. oil operations off the Santa Barbara County coast, local groups announced Thursday they plan to file a motion to intervene in Sable’s production and join the State of California in fighting President Donald Trump’s order to reactivate the pipeline.

Spokespeople for the groups — the Environmental Defense Center, the Center for Biological Diversity and Earth Justice — announced their intentions at Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara alongside local elected officials and a Chumash leader.

“Every day that Sable pumps oil off of our coast increases the risk of another massive oil spill,” said Linda Krop, chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center.

Sable is a Texas-based oil company formed to take over the Santa Ynez Unit of Santa Barbara County platforms, processing and pipeline facilities. An injunction was placed on the pipeline system in the aftermath of the 2015 Refugio oil spill as part of a settlement with the pipeline’s previous owners.

The Department of Energy said in March that the pipeline could be allowed to restart under the Defense Production Act.

The Trump administration issued orders to reactivate the pipelines on March 13 “to address supply disruption risks caused by California policies,” according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Last month, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck ruled that Sable is still required to comply with an injunction barring the restart of its oil and gas production facilities, and that the Trump administration’s orders to begin pumping oil do not override the injunction. 

Local elected officials, including Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and State Assemblyman Gregg Hart heavily criticized Sable and the Trump administration on Thursday.

Carbajal said the fight against Sable can feel personal, as many remember the impact the 2015 Refugio oil spill had on the local environment.

“Trump and his cronies are telling people that Sable is a domestic solution to the energy crisis, an energy crisis that he created with his idiotic and illegal war with Iran,” Carbajal said. “But the reality is that Sable won’t produce anywhere near the amount of oil to lower the price families are paying at the pump.”

Schiff spoke about the importance of moving away from relying on fossil fuels. He said the community should focus on renewable energy sources and highlight the amount of money oil companies are making.

“(Oil companies are) making record profits. They don’t need to be charging the prices we’re paying at the pump,” Schiff said, adding that he saw “our highest exports of fuel ever from the United States” last week.

“So much of the fuel that is produced here, we’re sending out of the country. The only beneficiaries here are the oil industry.”

He also spoke out against the Trump administration invoking the Defense Production Act to restart the pipeline.

Mati Waiya, chairman of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation, said it was important for everyone to come together, no matter their background, to protect the environment. 

“What a day to come together, to really look through the eyes of our ancestors, to listen to the waves and the voices of them that are warning us about the disaster that could happen with Sable restart,” Waiya said. “A defense act of war that should have never started in the first place, and we’re paying the price.”

There are multiple lawsuits in progress over the Sable restart. Krop said the state has a hearing scheduled for June 1 to request a preliminary injunction against Trump’s executive order. 

The Environmental Defense Center and Sable are scheduled to be back in court in Santa Barbara on May 22 over the alleged violation of the injunction preventing the pipeline restart.