The federal regulator approved Sable Offshore Corp.’s Las Flores Pipeline System, a critical step in restarting oil production in the Santa Ynez Unit. The pipeline system connects the Santa Ynez Unit to the Pentland Station terminal in Kern County.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) notified Sable on December 22, 2025 that it has approved the plan to restart the Las Flores Pipeline System.
The approval comes only days after the PHMSA confirmed the company’s determination that the Las Flores Pipeline was an interstate pipeline under the Pipeline Safety Act rather than an intrastate public under state regulation.
The Las Flores Pipeline System includes the CA-324 and CA-325 pipelines. CA-324, previously known as line 901, ruptured and caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
Sable has faced significant legal and political opposition in its efforts to restart production of the Santa Ynez Unit.
The company recently requested federal approval to use an offshore storage and treating (OS&T) vessel as a potential alternative to the Las Flores facility and pipeline. The OS&T vessel would use tankers to ship crude oil produced on federal leases from the Santa Ynez Unit.