The United States undeniably needs more energy production to meet growing demand. However, the fight over how to best achieve this aim continues after California sued the federal government for greenlighting plans to resume oil production in two pipelines along its coast.  

What's happening?

On Jan. 23, California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it gave Sable Offshore permission to restart an oil pipeline project halted in 2015, when a corroded pipeline spewed hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil near the Santa Barbara coast. 

The suit alleges that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the agency responsible for the safe transportation of energy and hazardous materials, has illegally declared exclusive jurisdiction over the state's onshore Las Flores Pipelines.

"The federal administration has no right to usurp California's regulatory authority," Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a news conference, per the Associated Press. "We're taking them to court to draw a line in the sand and to protect our coast, beaches, and communities."

Why is this important?

Oil spills inflict long-term economic damage, decreasing property values, reducing tourism, and causing job losses. The public health impacts can be ongoing for years.

When the pipeline ruptured in 2015, it shut down fisheries and beaches for months, sickened communities, and killed birds and marine life. As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration documented, restoration efforts have taken years and millions of dollars.  

A PHMSA spokesperson suggested that the pipeline project would bring financial relief to Californians, telling the AP, "Restarting the Las Flores Pipeline will bring much-needed American energy to a state with the highest gas prices in the country." (Californians consistently pay the most at the pump; at the time of writing, Hawaiʻi had the highest prices, per AAA.)

However, California Assemblymember Gregg Hart, a Democrat who represents Santa Barbara, is among those who believe the administration is disregarding painful lessons from history and are fighting to keep the pipeline from reopening.

"California will not allow Trump and his Big Oil friends to bypass our essential environmental laws and threaten our coastline," Hart told the AP. 

What's being done about oil spills more broadly?

While no energy source is risk-free and manufacturing equipment produces some air pollution, solar and wind rank among the top three safest and cleanest sources of energy, along with nuclear, according to Our World in Data. 

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Some view nuclear fission and the emerging field of nuclear fusion as the wave of the future. (For its part, the Trump administration has looked favorably upon nuclear development, though it has also worked to cancel billions of dollars earmarked for clean energy infrastructure.) 

Others believe governments should focus on renewable infrastructure when transforming energy systems. Physicist Amory Lovins, co-founder and chairman emeritus of RMI, told The Cool Down in a meeting with reporters that solar and wind are more affordable than nuclear; he sees renewables as more advantageous to develop. 

California has heavily invested in renewable infrastructure. In 2023, it became the largest economy in the world to produce two-thirds of its energy from clean resources, according to a media release from the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom. The state has also promoted the adoption of electric vehicles, which offer lower lifetime energy and maintenance costs.

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