A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled Friday that an injunction preventing the restart of the Las Flores Pipelines will stand, and indicated that Sable Offshore Corp. may have violated the injunction by operating.

Judge Donna Geck ruled that Sable is still required to comply with an injunction preventing a restart of its oil and gas production facilities, and that the Trump administration’s orders to begin pumping oil do not override the injunction.  

Sable is a Texas-based oil company formed to take over the Santa Ynez Unit of Santa Barbara County platforms, processing and pipeline facilities. The 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 stated in March that the president could order a restart under the Defense Production Act. Trump issued orders to reactivate the pipelines on March 13.

Sable argued that those orders override the injunction.

Judge Geck said that despite those orders, Sable must gain approval from the Office of the State Fire Marshal before it can activate the pipeline systems, which were shut down in 2015.

“Sable has not met its burden to show that the preliminary injunction should be dissolved or modified,” the decision read. “Sable’s motion will therefore be denied.”

In addition to denying the appeal, the court also ruled that Sable must return at a later date to determine whether the company violated the injunction and is in contempt of court. Sable is scheduled to return to court to discuss the alleged violation on May 22, according to a press release from the Center for Biological Diversity.

Sable announced March 16 that it had restarted oil production on Platform Harmony and was transporting oil. The company said the pipelines were activated with all safety standards.

A Sable press release issued Monday said that 40 wells are online at Platform Harmony and Platform Heritage, and that each well is producing 750 gross barrels of oil per day.

The company plans to activate all 74 wells at the two platforms, which will allow the wells to each produce a total of 700 barrels of oil per day.

Sable is also planning to bring Platform Hondo online in June, representing a third of its local offshore platforms. Sable’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission state that the platform has 26 wells and could produce up to 10,000 barrels of oil a day.

“We are working tirelessly to provide American oil from American soil to consumers in California and the U.S. military and are proud to have produced over 1 million barrels from the Santa Ynez Unit to date,” Jim Flores, Sable chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We look forward to achieving our financial objectives as we continue to operate in a safe and reliable manner to the benefit of all of our stakeholders.”

Linda Krop, the chief counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, praised Geck’s recent decision, saying it is a win for the rule of law. She added that the president does not have the authority to ignore state laws.

“Sable has undeniably and blatantly violated Judge Geck’s injunction by starting up the pipeline, and they have continued to operate it in violation of critical public safety and environmental laws,” Krop said. “Once again, Sable is showing that it can’t be trusted to operate responsibly or legally, and every day they continue increases the risk of another disaster on the California coast.”

The EDC also represents Get Oil Out!, the Santa Barbara County Action Network, the Sierra Club and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper in the civil case.

Pending Legal Cases

The oil company has faced a series of legal challenges on its path to restarting the pipeline.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the U.S. Department of Energy in March, challenging the company’s decision to allow Sable to restart the pipeline. The lawsuit names the agency and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.

California State Parks also sued Sable, demanding that the company remove its pipeline segments from Gaviota State Park. The pipeline was allowed to pass through the park due to old easement agreements, but the agreements expired in 2016.

The two sides were negotiating new agreements, but the talks fell through.

Sable’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission state that the company will be part of a briefing on June 1 to discuss whether to modify or terminate the injunction.

The company is also suing the California Coastal Commission for $347 million. The company was fined $18 million by the commission for unpermitted work in the coastal zone.

Sable is also suing the County of Santa Barbara after the Board of Supervisors declined to transfer permits in 2025.