California Takes Legal Action Against Federal Energy Department Over Pipeline

California's Attorney General filed a federal lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Energy from restarting an offshore oil pipeline system using Cold War-era emergency powers. The dispute centers on the Santa Ynez platform pipelines that were shut down after a major 2015 oil spill.

California’s top legal official has launched a federal court challenge against the U.S. Department of Energy over the controversial reactivation of an offshore oil pipeline network.

Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Monday that his office filed suit to block federal authorities from using emergency Cold War legislation to bypass state regulations and restart the Santa Ynez offshore pipeline system, which connects ocean drilling platforms to mainland California refineries.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright activated the pipeline network earlier this month through presidential authority granted by Donald Trump’s executive order, which utilized the Defense Production Act to override state-level restrictions.

“We won’t let this outrageous federal overreach go without a fight,” Bonta declared during Monday’s news conference. The Attorney General contends that Wright’s activation order conflicts with state regulations, existing court rulings, and a federally-approved legal settlement.

Neither the Department of Energy nor Sable Offshore provided immediate responses to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit, which was submitted to San Francisco’s federal courthouse.

The state is requesting judicial determination that Wright’s pipeline activation breached federal statutes and constitutional provisions, while seeking an injunction preventing the Energy Department from operating the Santa Ynez platform and its associated pipeline infrastructure.

Operations at the Santa Ynez facility ceased following a catastrophic 2015 incident that released over 100,000 gallons of crude oil into Pacific waters and contaminated Santa Barbara area coastlines.

This legal battle represents another chapter in ongoing tensions between Trump’s push for expanded domestic energy production and California Governor Gavin Newsom’s progressive environmental policies.

Wright’s directive coincided with global fuel price increases linked to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. Sable announced it resumed hydrocarbon transportation from Las Flores Canyon to Pentland Station on March 14, projecting daily sales of 50,000 barrels by April 1.

California previously challenged the Trump administration’s January decision to redesignate the Sable pipeline network as “interstate” infrastructure despite operating entirely within California county boundaries.

That earlier legal challenge remains under review by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.