Sable Offshore Secures Key Federal Approval to Restart Las Flores Pipeline System Near Santa Barbara

Sable Offshore Corp. has secured federal approval of its restart plan for the Las Flores onshore pipelines, a key component of efforts to resume operations associated with the Santa Ynez Unit near Santa Barbara.

On December 22, 2025, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) gave its nod to Sable’s restart plan for the Las Flores Pipeline System Line CA-324 and Line CA-325. 

The PHMSA also conducted a field inspection with Sable to discuss its process and safety processes to restart the pipeline, the agency mentioned in its approval letter. 

The approval letter was signed by Dustin Hubbard, director of PHMSA’s Western Region.

Santa Barbara County officials have not issued any statement on the development as yet.

The PHMSA’s approval marks a significant step for Sable after months of seeking federal oversight of pipeline safety. However, it does not resolve outstanding state, county, or court actions related to permits and land-use authority.

The approval also comes at a time when the Trump administration has expressed its eagerness to boost oil production in the country and has proposed to reopen oil drilling off the California Coast, amid stiff opposition from local city councils and environmental groups. 

Environmental experts and residents of Santa Barbara and its neighboring areas are staunchly against restoring the pipeline operations. The same corroded underground pipeline, which was then owned and operated by Plains All American, caused the Refugio oil spill in May 2015.

More than 123,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean, impacting marine wildlife and damaging fisheries and coastal tourism.

Sable notified the PHMSA on November 26, 2025, of its plan to restore the pipeline, which connects the Santa Ynez Unit to the Pentland Station terminal in Kern County. Arguing that the pipeline constitutes an interstate pipeline facility under the Pipeline Safety Act, Sable requested the PHMSA’s guidance on transitioning regulatory oversight to the federal agency from the California Office of the State Fire Marshal. 

Sable had been facing several setbacks in its attempt to revive production at the Santa Ynez Unit from state agencies. 

Earlier this month, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors denied Sable’s request to transfer county permits from ExxonMobil, largely based on the company’s inability to meet the mandated operator capability finding. 

Sable had acquired the platforms, a pipeline, and an onshore processing facility from ExxonMobil under a 2022 agreement, according to a Reuters report. All the assets have been lying idle since the Refugio oil spill in 2015.  

In October 2025, the CAL FIRE Office of the State Marshal denied permission to Sable to restart the pipeline until all safety requirements were fulfilled. Sable was also asked to show that its infrastructure was safe, since the pipeline was responsible for one of the worst oil spills in California.

PHMSA’s approval comes amid ongoing legal disputes, including an October 2025 Superior Court ruling that Sable conducted large-scale digging and other work on the Gaviota coast to repair a defective pipeline without the required permits.

In April 2025, the California Coastal Commission imposed an enforcement action and issued an $18-million fine against Sable for ignoring cease-and-desist orders and conducting unpermitted pipeline work.