Citing oil market turmoil linked to the war with Iran, President Donald Trump on Friday invoked emergency powers to push the restart of a long‑disputed offshore oil operation off the California coast, prompting immediate pushback from California officials who say the order sidesteps courts and state regulators.
In an executive order signed on March 13, Trump expanded the Energy Department’s authority under the Defense Production Act, a Cold War‑era law that gives the president broad power to direct industry in the name of national defense amid the ongoing conflict with Iran and rising gasoline prices.
Soon after, Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered Houston‑based Sable Offshore Corp. to restore operations tied to the Santa Ynez Unit, a network of offshore platforms, pipelines and processing facilities along the Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County.
“Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense,” Wright said, citing energy needs for West Coast military installations.
Newsom, state leaders push back
The order prompted an immediate response from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who accused Trump of exploiting an international crisis to revive a project that had been stalled for months in court and before state regulators.
“Trump knew his war with Iran would raise gas prices. Now he wants to illegally resurrect a pipeline shut down by courts and facing criminal charges,” Newsom said on X. “And it won’t even cut prices.”
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D‑Calif., also condemned the Trump administration’s orders, accusing federal officials of using the war with Iran and rising oil prices to push a project Californians have long opposed.
Padilla said the move prioritizes oil industry profits over coastal communities and environmental protections, arguing California has already shown an alternative through clean energy investments and strict coastal safeguards.
“Californians have repeatedly rejected dangerous drilling off our coast for decades,” Padilla said. “Now … the Trump Administration is trying to exploit this crisis to further enrich the oil industry at the expense of our communities and our environment.”
Gasoline prices have surged during the first two weeks of the conflict in Iran. Crude oil has climbed to around $100 a barrel, and the average price of gas in California has risen above $5.40 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
Federal officials say the project could restore roughly 50,000 barrels of oil per day. California officials and environmental advocates argue that the amount would have little impact on prices because oil is sold on global markets.
What the offshore system includes
The infrastructure now owned by Sable Offshore includes offshore platforms, subsea pipelines and the Las Flores Canyon processing facility near the Santa Barbara coastline.
The system has been largely dormant since the 2015 Refugio oil spill, when a corroded onshore pipeline ruptured above Refugio State Beach, releasing more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil. About 21,000 gallons flowed into the Pacific Ocean, coating miles of shoreline, killing marine wildlife and forcing beach closures at the start of the summer season.
Cleanup costs approached $100 million, and criminal charges were later filed against the pipeline’s former owner, Plains All American Pipeline. The spill shut down the entire pipeline network serving the offshore platforms, which have remained offline for more than a decade.
California challenges federal pipeline approval
In January, Attorney General Rob Bonta sued over an earlier federal decision proposing to reopen two long‑idle pipelines running from Santa Barbara County to Kern County.
In a petition filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in January, Bonta argues the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration unlawfully stripped California of oversight by reclassifying the pipelines as “interstate” infrastructure, even though they lie entirely within the state.
California’s long resistance to offshore drilling
California’s opposition to offshore oil development stretches back more than 50 years. The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill helped launch the modern environmental movement and led to strict coastal protections.
Since then, the state has restricted new drilling permits, imposed buffer zones near communities and pursued aggressive limits on fossil fuel extraction as part of its climate goals.
Spills in 1997 near Platform Irene, the 2007 Cosco Busan spill in San Francisco Bay and the 2021 Huntington Beach pipeline leak have reinforced concerns about aging pipelines and offshore infrastructure along California’s coast.
(This story was updated to include new information.)
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Trump moves to revive offshore drilling in California amid Iran war
Reporting by James Ward, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
