Sable Urges DOE to Seize 3 Miles of California Coast for New Oil Reserve
Updated
Updated · Siteline Santa Barbara · Jul 9
Sable Urges DOE to Seize 3 Miles of California Coast for New Oil Reserve
3 articles · Updated · Siteline Santa Barbara · Jul 9
Summary
Sable Offshore asked the Department of Energy to take state and private land in Santa Barbara County, including a three-mile submerged coastal stretch, for a proposed West Coast strategic petroleum reserve.
The request also targets part of Gaviota State Park and undeveloped land north of Buellton where its pipelines run, tying the land push directly to expanded pipeline operations.
In a new SEC filing, Sable said 52 of 77 wells on two offshore platforms are operating and that more wells and a third platform should come online later this year.
The land request follows Sable’s March 2026 production restart under a Trump administration emergency order, despite California opposition, repair concerns and lingering fallout from the 2015 pipeline rupture.
Could this case set a precedent for seizing state parks for private infrastructure projects nationwide?
Will a federal push for energy security override California's authority to protect its coastline?
Sable Offshore’s $700 Million Debt Crisis and Federal Eminent Domain Battle Over California Pipelines
Overview
Sable Offshore Corp. is urgently appealing to the federal government for eminent domain powers to seize land in California, aiming to overcome strong state resistance and restart the Las Flores Pipeline System, which it acquired from ExxonMobil in 2024. This pipeline has been shut down since the massive 2015 Refugio oil spill, which released over 123,000 gallons of crude oil and caused major environmental damage. Sable’s broader goal is to establish a new West Coast strategic petroleum reserve, but ongoing legal, regulatory, and financial challenges threaten both the company’s plans and California’s environmental protections.