Environmental activists gathered near Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf on Thursday evening to rally against the news that Sable Offshore Corp. received orders to restart oil production at Platform Harmony.

A group made up of hundreds of people gathered near the dolphin statue near the entrance to the wharf, wearing red shirts, holding signs and singing songs.

Izzi Sistek, a student at UC Santa Barbara, helped arrange the protest after hearing the news on Monday. She said that she felt “mad, desperate and powerless” when the restart was announced.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters, Sistek called the restart an obscene abuse of power and said the company had not proven it was compliant with state agencies.

“This is not about public need,” Sistek said. “This is about the profit of big oil above all else.”

Sable announced that it restarted oil production at Platform Harmony on Monday after receiving orders from President Donald Trump. The president instructed Sable to begin production under the Defense Production Act.

Sable said it had about 540,000 barrels of processed crude oil in storage at Las Flores Canyon when the order was issued.

Assemblyman Gregg Hart, who represents District 37, criticized the president’s use of the Defense Production Act and said it has never been invoked in this way. He assured the crowd that there are legal grounds to push back against the orders.

“We have been in this fight since 1969,” Hart said. “We know what the tragedies of oil development can bring to a community, and what we really need to do is shift to using renewable energy and to have more electrified vehicles and stop depending on fossil fuels. We need to think longer term.”

Hart also stressed the need to organize environmental allies across the state and bring attention to what is happening to California’s oceans.

He concluded by telling the crowd that he intends to host a summit in December to bring together ocean researchers, philanthropists and others from across the country to meet and strategize on a policy agenda for California.

“We’re going to bring people here to talk amongst us, learn from us and put us in a place … where we can make the change that we need and not be reacting to the change that’s coming at us,” Hart said.

The pipeline in question is part of the Santa Ynez Unit, which includes three offshore oil platforms, a processing center and pipelines.

One of the pipelines connected to the unit is the same line that ruptured in 2015, leading to the Refugio oil spill. The spill dumped thousands of gallons of crude oil onto the Gaviota coastline and into the ocean.

The pipeline has been closed since the spill, but Sable has attempted to make repairs to the pipeline in order to restart oil production.

During repairs, the company has run afoul of the California Coastal Commission. The commission issued a cease-and-desist order to Sable after the company began work on state lands, but the company continued with its repairs.

The Coastal Commission responded by fining Sable $18 million for the work and damage to the area.   

Advocates have opposed reactivating the pipeline, saying it is too corroded to be safely operated.

Alexander Pixa Kelly has been part of the protest movement against Sable for about a year. He said the news of the restart made him sad and angry.

“We have the law on our side. We have the people on our side,” Kelly said. “And to not listen to the people, the ocean, the land, and have someone come in from the other side of the country and create an executive order out of greed … it’s unacceptable.”