A cleanup crew walk along Huntington Beach looking for spots of oil north of the pier with cargo container ships in the background. More than 125,000 gallons of oil spilled from a pipeline about four miles offshore of Southern California's coast. The spill left a sheen over miles of ocean along the shoreline at Huntington Beach. Xxx News Southern California Oil Spill 033 Jpg A Oth Usa Ca
Santa Barbara, California – The California Coastal Commission has issued a record $18 million fine to Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based oil company, for repeated violations related to a corroded pipeline in Santa Barbara County. The pipeline, which caused the infamous 2015 Refugio oil spill, released over 100,000 gallons of crude oil, devastating coastal habitats, closing beaches, and disrupting marine life.
In a packed public hearing on Thursday, the commission said Sable defied multiple cease-and-desist orders by continuing unauthorized repair and excavation work along the 14-mile pipeline. The company is seeking to restart production from the Santa Ynez offshore oil operation, which includes three offshore platforms, despite ongoing legal and regulatory hurdles.
“This is an unprecedented case of noncompliance,” said Commissioner Meagan Harmon, calling Sable’s actions a direct challenge to California law and public will. “Their refusal is, in a very real sense, a subversion of the will of the people of the state of California.”
Sable has argued that it is legally permitted to conduct work under a decades-old county permit, and is suing the Coastal Commission for halting what it claims is routine maintenance. But county officials have yet to approve the transfer of that permit to Sable.
The commission, however, determined that Sable’s work—including road grading, vegetation removal, and placing cement bags in ocean waters—amounted to a full pipeline rebuild, not maintenance. Officials also raised concerns about sensitive habitats and endangered species, such as the red-legged frog and Southern Steelhead trout, impacted by the unpermitted work.
The record fine could be reduced to $15 million if Sable complies and submits a coastal development permit. The commission also ordered the company to halt work and restore the damaged land and seafloor areas.
The case now sets the stage for a broader battle over the future of fossil fuel development along California’s coast—and the power of the state to regulate it.
