Santa Barbara District Attorney Files Criminal Charges Against Oil Company for Environmental Violations

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced Thursday that criminal charges have been filed against Sable Offshore Corp. in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for environmental violations.

The complaint accuses Sable Offshore, an oil company based in Texas, of violating the law while excavating and making repairs to a severely corroded pipeline that runs from the Gaviota Coast to Kern County – the same pipeline responsible for one of the worst oil spill disasters in California history just 10 years ago, the Refugio Oil Spill in 2015.

The complaint alleges that Sable committed five felony violations of the California Water Code for knowingly discharging dredged or fill material into waters of the United States; 11 misdemeanor violations of the California Fish and Game Code for substantially diverting or obstructing, or substantially changing or using material from the bed, bank, or channel of any river, stream, or lake; and five misdemeanor violations of the Fish and Game Code for placing excavated materials in or where they could pass into the waters of the State.

Starting last year, Sable received multiple notices of violation related to its repair work from agencies including the State Department of Fish & Wildlife, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Coastal Commission.

The oil company also received cease-and-desist orders from the Coastal Commission that were reportedly ignored, leading to a record $18 million fine and a third cease-and-desist order from the Commission in April.

However, following the Commission’s enforcement action, Sable immediately continued its work on the pipeline until a Superior Court judge issued an injunction halting repairs. According to the Commission, much of the work destroyed or disrupted sensitive habitats or species in the Coastal Zone.

The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) has been instrumental in leading efforts to oppose Sable’s restart of oil and gas facilities, formerly owned by ExxonMobil, including three 1980s-era offshore platforms, onshore processing stations, and the defective pipeline that ruptured in 2015, causing the Plains oil spill at Refugio State Beach.

“At this point it should be abundantly clear that Sable is not a company we can trust to operate safely, responsibly, or even legally in California,” said EDC Chief Counsel Linda Krop. “No matter how Sable spins it, these are serious charges, and they raise big questions about the company’s integrity and its ability to operate risky facilities without causing more harm to our state. In its short history, Sable has openly ignored cease-and-desist orders from the Coastal Commission, racked up multiple notices of violation from other agencies, and according to the felony charges filed this week, knowingly poisoned waterways here in Santa Barbara County. The company is still asking state agencies for approvals to restart this failed pipeline and operate it through Gaviota State Park. However, the criminal charges make it even more clear that the state must conduct a full environmental review and allow for a transparent, public process before considering whether this project should move forward.”

EDC also represents Get Oil Out! (GOO!), the Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN), the Sierra Club, and the Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.

Arraignment will be held on November 4, 2025 in Department 8 of the Figueroa Division of the Santa Barbara Superior Court. A copy of the complaint can be read here.