10/20/25: SB County Supervisors voted 3-2 to ban new onshore drilling and phase out existing oil operations, making Santa Barbara one of the first counties in California to use its new authority under AB 3233. The process will begin with public hearings, seeking approval from the Coastal Commission, and eventually ending existing operations within 20 years.

10/15/25: Another big court victory against Sable! Santa Barbara Super Court Judge Anderle sided with the Coastal Commission in his ruling that the company engaged in large-scale digging and other coastal work without the required permits. The rulings state that coastal development permits were required for Sable’s onshore and offshore work, and that Santa Barbara County was incorrect that permits issued in 1986 covered the work. Sable now must apply for permits and pay the Coastal Commission’s $18 million fine. Read more

10/7/25: Following the Coastal Commission’s $18 million fine and lawsuit exchange, Sable is now seeking damages from the state in excess of $347 million for the “unlawful delay of, and damages to, the restart of the Las Flores Pipeline System.” Read more

10/3/25: Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Sable in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, accusing the company of repeatedly discharging dirt and other material into coastal streams and wetlands without a permit. Bonta is seeking injunctive relief and civil penalties up to $5,000 for each day the violation occurred. Read more

9/29/25: Sable announced it would seek federal permission to install an offshore storage and treatment (OS&T) facility located in federal waters, three miles off the California coast. This move would allow Sable to dodge the authority of state and local regulatory authorities, with systems that have an even higher risk of explosions and spills. Read more

9/16/25: Santa Barbara District Attorney filed 21 criminal charges against Sable for allegations of excavating and discharging material into local creeks and waterways, allegedly violating the Fish and Game Code and the Water Code. 

9/13/25: AB 1448 and SB 542 were scrapped from California legislature and replaced by SB 237, which strikes CEQA requirements for up to 2,000 new well drilling projects in Kern County. However, the bill also proposes that oil and gas facilities that have been out of service for over five years would require a new Coastal Development Permit (CDP) and mandatory pipeline integrity testing by OFSM.

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. 

9/5/25: 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.

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.