9/20/25: Despite a $18M penalty and court injunction, Sable continues pressing to restart oil at Santa Ynez. The company is pursuing a CEQA exemption and OSFM waivers, drawing sharp resistance from regulators and legislators. As the September Parks Commission meeting nears, NGOs are urging Gov. Newsom to require a full Environmental Impact Report and public hearings. Read more.

9/12/25: Big win out of US Central District of California Court — Judge Gee denied Sable’s appeal of Santa Barbara County’s tie-vote in February, which halted the lease transfer from ExxonMobil to Sable. Sable now has 60 days to refile for a hearing with the County, where the supervisors will vote again on the lease transfer, with environmental-champion Supervisor Hartmann now able to vote.

9/10/25: A US District Court judge denied Sable’s motion to dismiss the Center for Biological Diversity’s lawsuit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for allowing Sable to restart production at the Santa Ynez Unit using outdated development and production plans from the 1970s and 1980s.

9/10/25: Climate Rights International (CRI) published a briefing paper calling on state leaders to conduct a full environmental review of the restart project, including opportunities for public input and formal hearings. So far, the project has moved forward with zero environmental review and no opportunity for public input at the state level. 

9/8/25: Dr. Paasha Mahdavi delivered a floor alert to California legislators in support of AB 1448, which will prohibit the use of existing oil infrastructure to expand federal oil production, strengthen oil pipeline safety requirements, and require heightened coastal protections. This alert, along with another signed by over 60 NGO’s, serves as a powerful response to Sable’s opposition floor alert, hopefully pushing the bill forward by Newsom’s October 12 signing deadline.

9/5/25: Senator Schiff’s LA Times op-ed calls out Sable’s shady dealings with the Trump administration and urges Californians to draw on our history of fighting big oil — from 1969, to 2015, to now. “To succeed, this effort needs a critical ingredient: you,” he writes.

9/02/25: AB 1448/ SB 542 going to floor vote! AB 1448 would block new offshore oil drilling and strengthen state oversight of existing leases and pipelines to better protect California’s coast. SB 542 would require idle oil pipelines to pass rigorous safety tests before they can be restarted, reducing the risk of spills from aging infrastructure.

7/28/25: A federal court allowed the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) and its clients to intervene in a lawsuit against Santa Barbara County filed by fossil fuel companies trying to restart a huge oil and gas operation on the Gaviota Coast. Sable Offshore Corp., ExxonMobil, and their affiliates are challenging the County’s decision to NOT transfer permits to Sable to operate Exxon’s old oil and gas facilities after a tie vote by the Board of Supervisors in February. Read more.

7/25/25 Trump administration greenlights offshore oil operation off the Santa Barbara Coast. Federal agencies issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Sable’s project in May 2025, effectively bypassing stricter environmental review processes and announce renewed operations on Santa Barbara platforms. Read more.

7/18/25 A Santa Barbara Superior Court judge issued a preliminary injunction against Sable, extending a previous temporary restraining order. It does not block Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration from approving restart of the pipeline, but it requires Sable to come back to the court after receiving all outstanding approvals, providing environmental groups a 10-day period to seek further relief from the court.