Coastal Commission Issues Notice to Sable for Unpermitted Oil Pipeline Work
On September 27, 2024, the California Coastal Commission ordered Sable Offshore Corp. to end “unpermitted” work installing safety valves on the Las Flores Pipelines, which leaked more than 100,000 gallons in the 2015 Refugio oil spill. The work includes pipeline upgrades and is associated with Sable’s plan to restart onshore and offshore operations in the Santa Ynez Unit. The Commission stated that Sable’s pipeline “upgrade” requires a permit under the Coastal Act.
In its notice of violation, the Commission stated that the company was undertaking “unpermitted development in the Coastal Zone, including, but not necessarily limited to, excavation with heavy equipment and other activities” associated with the pipelines known as CA-324 and CA-325 (formerly Lines 901/903). Plains All American built the pipeline system in 1988.
The Commission stated that Sable is performing “various unpermitted construction activities in the Coastal Zone associated with upgrades to Lines 324/325 in connection with Sable’s proposed restart of that pipeline.” This includes a “pipeline upgrade project to address pipeline corrosion in locations within the Coastal Zone and to install new safety valves in portions of the pipeline in the Coastal Zone.” According to the Coastal Commission, these activities “constitute development and are not exempt from coastal development permit (“CDP”) requirements.”
The Commission stated that, under the Coastal Act and the Santa Barbara County Local Coastal Program (LCP), these activities constitute “development” and require Sable to obtain authorization under these laws and other permits. In performing these development activities, Sable is violating the Coastal Act and Santa Barbara County LCP.
Sable has maintained that it is performing “repair and maintenance” that is exempt from a permit and is not performing “development” work. The Commission countered that the upgrade project does not qualify as “repair and maintenance work” because the installation of safety valves is “an addition to the pipeline that does not qualify as ‘repair and maintenance.’” It also argued that the Coastal Act requirement for a permit is not entirely preempted by the California Office of the State Fire Marshall’s approval.
The Commission requested Sable to “cease immediately any unpermitted activities/development in the Coastal Zone associated with Lines 324/325.” The Commission also stated that Sable must cease any development activities related to the three offshore platforms and offshore pipelines, as those activities require a permit and additional review.
A Coastal Commission official said Sable is expected to submit a proposal for stabilizing the work sites during this pause and a list of the work it has already done, according to Noozhawk.
“Repair and maintenance activities that are exempt from Coastal Act permitting requirements have been conducted on the pipeline under the pipeline’s existing Coastal Development Permits for the last 35+ years, and PPC believes its recent work is within the scope of those historic activities,” the company said in a statement.
The company also stated that it moved all crews out of the Coastal Zone to other areas of the pipeline complex for other repairs.