WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Conservation groups have legally challenged the Trump administration for issuing a second permit allowing oil to flow through the Las Flores Pipeline System near Santa Barbara. The permit waives certain federal pipeline safety regulations for the onshore pipeline, which ruptured and caused a massive oil spill in 2015.
'Trump officials have doubled down on a dangerous game of letting their oil industry friends play by different safety rules. That's completely unacceptable and we're going to court to hold them accountable,' said Julie Teel Simmonds, senior counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'If there's another oil spill, ocean wildlife and Californians will be the ones paying the price. The federal government shouldn't be barging in with lax oversight and unfairly squashing California's efforts to protect its own coast.'
This was the second special permit that the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued to Sable Offshore Corp., the pipelines' owner, since December. The groups also sued over the first one, but the court ruled the new permit moots that lawsuit.
The Trump administration has circumvented California regulators and fast-tracked the restart of the Santa Ynez Unit in March.
Due to the oil shortage during the Iran war, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed Sable to restart the pipeline under the Defense Production Act. Sable started transporting oil through the pipeline from the onshore processing facility soon after the directive was issued.
California has challenged that Trump order in federal court.
The Trump administration has cited a national 'energy emergency' to fast-track approvals for the embattled pipeline and other projects.
'Sable continues to operate the Las Flores Pipeline System with impunity and disregard for the safety of our communities,' said Mati Waiya, executive director for the Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation. 'This corrosion-prone pipeline is a ticking time bomb that threatens Chumash lifeways and maritime culture, as well as the ecological integrity of our unique coastal waters. We will not give up the fight until we know our communities and coastline are safe.'
Tuesday's lawsuit says the new special permit violates the Pipeline Safety Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act by failing to conduct the necessary environmental reviews or make the required findings about pipeline safety. It also says PHMSA unlawfully took jurisdiction over the pipeline away from California.
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