Climate Action: Demand Environmental Review for Sable Pipeline

The Sable Saga Continues: they’re persistent, but so are we!

Despite overwhelming public opposition, Sable Corporation has not given up on its goal of restarting three offshore platforms and transporting the resulting oil through the corroded pipeline that caused the Refugio Oil Spill ten years ago. That incident devastated wildlife, severely hurt our local commercial fishing industry, and spoiled the fun of beachgoers for many months afterwards.

Recently Sable has flouted several cease and desist orders from the California Coastal Commission, leaving it now up to other state agencies and officials to rein them in. The Sable project has never undergone a full environmental review, but with its current request to State Parks for an operating and maintenance easement across Gaviota State Park, there is yet another reason to ask for one.

Gaviota State Park is not only a sensitive habitat, but it’s also a popular recreational area. State Parks should not make any decision on the easement without the information a review would provide.

Our friends at the Environmental Defense Center are asking that we call State Parks Director Armando Quintero and Governor Newsom to ask for a full environmental review of the restart project. Below is their suggested script. If you prefer, you can sign onto a petition; to do that, please click here.

Call Governor Newsom’s office at 916-445-2841. Try to talk to a member of staff. Here’s what you can say:
“Hello. My name is ___ and I’m a resident of ____ . I’m extremely disappointed to see Trump cheerleading the success of the Santa Ynez Unit, an offshore drilling project off California’s coast. Not a single agency under your leadership has committed to conducting a full environmental review for the proposed restart, including for the defective pipeline that caused the 2015 disaster. None of us want another major oil spill, and we need strong leadership from you to stop that from happening. Please reverse course and stand up to protect California’s coast from offshore drilling. Thank you.”

You can also call State Park’s Director Quintero’s office to share your message at 916-902-8900.
“Hello. My name is ___ and I’m a resident of ____ . I’m extremely disappointed that State Parks already granted one exemption from environmental review for Sable Offshore Corp’s work in Gaviota State Park. None of us want a repeat of the massive 2015 oil spill at Refugio State Beach and we need strong leadership from you to stop that from happening. Please require a full environmental review before you make any decision on Sable Offshore Corp.’s application for a new pipeline easement through Gaviota State Park for the Las Flores Pipeline System.
If you get through to voicemail, please leave a message.

Urge Legislators to Amend Senate Bill 131

Recently passed Senate Bill 131 (Assembly Bill 130) significantly weakens provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The bill was not passed through the regular legislative process, but, rather, it was attached to the budget bill, forcing legislators to pass it in order to adopt the constitutionally-required budget.

The bill exempts all “advanced manufacturing” facilities from CEQA, and thereby threatens to expose California’s most vulnerable communities to undisclosed and unmitigated industrial hazards. It also threatens sensitive natural resources. In order to facilitate infill projects CEQA did need to be revised, but this bill simply goes too far.

Environmental and social justice communities are focusing on securing two key changes to this bill before the end of the legislative session in September:

Expanding the definition of “natural and protected lands” to include habitat for imperiled species and lands important to conservation plans.
Removing the broad CEQA exemption for advanced manufacturing.

Call or write State Senator Monique Limon and Assemblyman Hart to ask them to support the growing list of environmental and social justice organizations demanding two crucial amendments to Senate Bill 131 (Assembly Bill 130) to protect our habitat and protect our communities from dangerous “Advanced Manufacturing” plants.

Here are example scripts you can use, or write your own message. Senator Limon’s phone number is (805) 965-0862. Assemblyman Hart’s phone number is 805-346-1237.

📞 Sample call script:

“Hi [Legislator name],

I’m calling you to urge you to support amendments to SB 131 for passage before the end of session to stop the CEQA rollbacks and do the following:

Add conservation lands to the “natural and protected” definition
Remove the broad CEQA exemption for advanced manufacturing

California should be enacting laws to protect communities and the environment, not roll them back. Thank you.”

For Senator Limon’s email contact click here. For Assemblyman Hart’s email contact click here

Sample email script:

“Dear [Legislator Name],

Unfortunately, despite the concerns raised, SB 131 was signed into law this month and will result in the loss of important habitat in California and the siting of toxic manufacturing facilities next door to already overburdened communities.

I urge you to support amendments to this legislation for passage before the end of session to do the following:

Add habitat and lands important for Natural Community Conservation Plans/Habitat Conservation Plans to the definition of “natural and protected lands.”
Remove the overly broad Advanced Manufacturing CEQA exemption.

I also urge that you oppose future efforts to roll back environmental protections in subsequent legislation. I am deeply concerned about proposals to exempt oil drilling and other energy projects from environmental review, particularly CEQA. California’s biodiversity is already at risk with federal proposals to remove important protections to our endangered species and public lands. California should be enacting laws to protect communities and the environment, not roll them back.

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~350 Steering Committee