WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed a Texas-based oil and gas company Friday to restore operations in waters off southern California that were damaged by a 2015 oil spill, invoking the Defense Production Act.
Restoring Sable Offshore Corp.鈥檚 Santa Ynez unit and pipeline off Santa Barbara aims to address supply disruption risks, according to a department news release. The unit includes three rigs in federal waters, offshore and onshore pipelines, and the Las Flores Canyon Processing Facility. The facility can produce about 50,000 barrels of oil per day and would replace nearly 1.5 million barrels of foreign crude each month, officials said.
鈥淭he Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,鈥� Wright said in a statement. 鈥淯nfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to those same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also our national security. Today鈥檚 order will strengthen America鈥檚 oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.鈥�
On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reverse former President Joe Biden鈥檚 on the East and West coasts. A federal court later struck down Biden鈥檚 order to withdraw 625 million acres of federal waters from oil development.
California Gov. Gavin 91欧美激情om condemned the move.
鈥淭his is an attempt to illegally restart a pipeline whose operators are facing criminal charges and prohibited by multiple court orders from restarting,鈥� 91欧美激情om said in a statement. 鈥淐alifornia will not stand by while the Trump administration attempts to sacrifice our coastal communities, our environment, and our $51 billion coastal economy. The Trump administration and Sable are defying multiple court orders, and we will see them back in court.鈥�
In January, the federal government for approving Houston-based Sable鈥檚 plans to restart pipelines along the coast. Democratic state Attorney General Rob Bonta said at the time that the state oversees the pipelines through Santa Barbara and Kern counties and the federal government 鈥渉as no right to usurp California鈥檚 regulatory authority.鈥�
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