California Attorney General Rob Bonta is opposing efforts to wave safety regulations for the Sable oil pipeline.
Bonta filed a comment letter opposing the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s consideration of Sable Offshore Corp.’s request for a special permit to waive a safety regulation and transport oil through Lines CA-324 and CA-325 in Santa Barbara and Kern counties.
PHSMA is trying to assert federal jurisdiction over the onshore lines by reclassifying them as “interstate,” issuing Sable an emergency permit waiving compliance its safety regulation requiring evaluation and remediation of pipeline corrosion.
That emergency permit recently expired and is being challenged in a lawsuit by the California Department of Justice, as is PHMSA’s reclassification of the pipelines as interstate.
In his letter, Bonta argues that PHMSA is without jurisdiction to issue any special permit because the pipelines are intrastate, and subject to state regulation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal rather than PHMSA.
“Let’s be clear: we do not have a ‘National Energy Emergency.’ President Trump is simply prioritizing the fossil fuel industry, ensuring that they can continue to line their own pockets by illegally restarting oil transportation through California’s pipelines at the expense of our public health and environment,” Bonta said in a statement.
The onshore pipelines had been shut down for a decade since the 2015 Refugio Beach oil spill, when a corroded segment of one pipeline ruptured and released more than 120,000 gallons of crude oil near Santa Barbara. The spill resulted in a consent decree that approves the state fire marshal’s role in reviewing and approving any planned restart of the onshore pipelines.
Topics
California
Legislation
Energy
Oil Gas
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