As previously posted, Santa Barbara County reached an agreement with current SYU operator Sable Offshore that will allow the installation of pipeline shutdown valves. Given that the valves are required by the State Fire Marshall, the County was not likely to win this dispute. The County wisely decided that the financial risks were too high:
“If we continued to fight this out in court, [Sable] likely would have sought to recover lost revenue from the pipeline not being in operation,” said Supervisor Steve Lavagnino. “That could amount to millions of dollars the County would be on the hook for.”
The Environmental Defense Center and others are calling for the County to retract their agreement with Sable and hold a public hearing on the matter. That appears to be unlikely.
Remaining hurdles for Sable include approval by the State Fire Marshall after the valves are installed and operational, State Lands Commission approval of lease assignments from Exxon to Sable, and approval of the oil spill contingency plan by the State Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.
Sable believes they can resume production this year. That seems unlikely, but a 2025 restart is now a distinct possibility.
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 
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