November 4 – Rally & Hearing to Stop Sable Permit
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will decide on Tuesday, November 4 whether to transfer Exxon’s oil and gas permits to Sable Offshore Corp.—the Texas company threatening our coast and communities with the restart of three aging offshore platforms, two onshore facilities, and the same pipeline that failed 10 years ago causing the devastating oil spill on the Gaviota Coast.
Here is information from the Environmental Defense Center:
JOIN US TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH at 9AM
IN PERSON:
📍 County of Santa Barbara, 105 E. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara
📢 RALLY: 8:00AM (Wear Red!)
📆 DOORS OPEN: 7:00AM. Come early to get your seats.
** To expedite entry please avoid bringing a bag.
VIRTUALLY: Testify virtually by Zoom – REGISTRATION REQUIRED
(Link to be released with agenda here)
EMAIL COMMENTS: by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 3 to sbcob@countyofsb.org
* If comments are longer than 1-page, deadline is noon Friday, October 31.
We need every voice. Every student, every parent, every surfer, every fisher, every person who loves this place. Let’s fill that hearing room.
Sable has proven to our community time and time again it cannot be trusted to operate these facilities safely or responsibly. Sable has continuously shown disregard for the law, including ignoring multiple cease-and-desist orders from the California Coastal Commission and digging up sensitive habitats without permits.
A federal judge recently rejected Sable’s attempt to force an immediate transfer of Exxon’s permits for these oil facilities, ordering the Board to hold a new public hearing to decide the matter. Will you join EDC and our partners to urge the Supervisors to deny the transfer of these permits? This is a major decision about our County’s future!
It’s clear Sable does not have the skills, training, or financial resources to operate these dangerous oil facilities. On November 4th the Board of Supervisors has an opportunity to protect our coast and communities. Let’s show up and make sure they do the right thing and deny the permits.
TALKING POINTS:
The Board of Supervisors must deny Sable’s application to transfer permits for the Santa Ynez Unit, Las Flores Pipelines, and onshore processing facilities.
The County’s ordinance (Chapter 25B) prohibits a transfer of permits that would place the environment and public health at risk.
Sable’s record makes clear the company is either unwilling or unable to follow the law and operate safely. Within a mere few months and before even restarting:
The California Coastal Commission fined Sable a record $18 million penalty;
The state Attorney General filed a lawsuit accusing Sable of illegally discharging waste into streams and habitats;
The District Attorney filed 21 criminal charges against the company, including five felonies;
The State Lands Commission Chair publicly questioned “Sable’s willingness to be a transparent operator” due to its “willful disregard for the directives of regulatory agencies”;
The State Fire Marshal sent Sable a notice regarding noncompliance with the State Waiver requirements for the pipelines; and
Sable’s own investors filed a federal lawsuit accusing the company of misleading investors about restarting production to boost its stock price before a public offering.
Sable has not shown that it has the financial capacity to cleanup an oil spill or abandon the facilities. The Board must require Sable post bonds for the facilities now to ensure the public is not burdened with these costs.
November 7 – Climate Friday at CEC
Join CEC, the Society of Fearless Grandmothers Santa Barbara, and the Santa Barbara Sierra Club on the first Friday of each month to gather with fellow climate activists, students, allies, community partners, and friends.
The focus this month is on Regenerative Agriculture! You will hear from an impressive panel featuring guest speakers from CEC, Harris Gaviota Farm, and SEEAG, along with sustainable food expert Gerri French.
Where: Community Environmental Council Hub, 1219 State St.
When: Friday, November 7, 3:30 – 5:00pm
~350 Steering Committee