A federal judge has rejected the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s request to halt oil transportation by Sable Offshore Corp through a controversial pipeline beneath the Santa Ynez offshore platform on Thursday.
The court’s decision represents a significant blow to California’s campaign against the Santa Ynez project, which Sable resumed operations on in March following federal government intervention. For Sable, the ruling delivered a substantial victory, boosting the company’s stock price by almost 12%.
The Department of Parks and Recreation had requested preliminary injunctive relief, arguing they would face irreparable damage from the operation of a portion of Sable’s pipeline running beneath the Gaviota State Park.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California determined that the department “manifestly failed to demonstrate that it will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary injunctive relief.”
A spokesperson for California State Parks expressed disappointment with the court’s ruling and stated they would persist in fighting Sable’s “egregious trespass on public land” in a released statement.
Multiple additional legal battles from various California state agencies, including litigation against the U.S. Department of Energy, remain ongoing. The district court observed in Thursday’s order that most of these cases are still in early phases.
