California is once again taking the Trump administration to court over an effort to restart long-idled oil pipelines along the state's Central Coast.
The latest challenge says federal officials are trying to take control of lines long regulated by California while also easing safety requirements on infrastructure tied to a major oil spill.
What happened?
A second petition filed July 20 by California Attorney General Rob Bonta targets the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's emergency approval allowing Sable Offshore Corporation to move oil through pipelines CA-324 and CA-325.
Those lines pass through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Kern counties, as Edhat reported. Bonta's office said PHMSA is trying to bring the pipelines under federal authority by redesignating them as "interstate" lines, even though California has historically regulated them.
If that reclassification remains in place, PHMSA would replace the Office of the State Fire Marshal as the lead regulator. Bonta is also contesting a separate emergency permit for Sable that let the company restart operations before completing some standard safety steps, including addressing pipeline corrosion and checking for metal loss, structural issues, and other hazards.
Additionally, the attorney general's office said that PHMSA has "significantly departed" from its agreement — approved in federal court — affirming the State Fire Marshal's role in the pipeline.
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Why does it matter?
The case carries added weight because the same pipelines were shut down after the 2015 Refugio Beach spill. A corroded section of pipeline ruptured near Santa Barbara, spilling more than 120,000 gallons of oil, including about 21,000 gallons that reached the Pacific Ocean.
That disaster harmed or killed hundreds of birds and marine mammals, sickened residents, and forced beaches and fisheries to close for months, according to the attorney general's office.
Opponents have said restarting the pipelines without full safety checks could raise the chances of another major accident affecting workers, coastal communities, wildlife, and businesses that rely on tourism and clean water.
What's being done?
Bonta's petition is part of a wider court fight over who gets to regulate the pipelines.
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His office is challenging the December 17, 2025, decision to classify the lines as interstate, as well as the emergency permit issued five days later under the Trump administration's National Energy Emergency executive order.
"California's coastline is not for sale to enrich the President's fossil fuel friends," Attorney General Bonta said in a statement. "No matter how many times the Trump administration attempts to help Sable evade state regulation, my office will see them in court at every illegal turn and continue to protect California's communities and environment."
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