On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors — embroiled in litigation with Sable Offshore over a minor but significant permit they refused to grant last year — weighed in on an attachment to a massive military appropriations bill that would give Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth unprecedented powers of eminent domain to condemn any property that the Houston-based company needs unfettered access to in order to keep its oil operation at Las Flores Canyon humming in the face of potential regulatory interference by any agency of county or state government.
The language was inserted into the omnibus military spending bill by a Republican congressmember from Houston, Sable’s home district. That attachment managed to pass the House by one vote and has been referred on to the Senate, where it has yet to be voted on.
This Tuesday, Congressmember Salud Carbajal testified in front of the supervisors in favor of their resolution condemning the military spending bill measure.
“Congress should not use the National Defense Authorization Act top create a special federal pathway around California law for one pipeline — one private interest project,” he stated.
Supervisor Bob Nelson said he ordinarily would oppose any such federal intervention in local matters but said in this case, he did not believe the Sable’s environmental opponents and the multitude of state regulatory agencies and non-governmental entities had been acting in good faith in terms of regulatory hurdles they were erecting in Sable’s path. Had they allowed Sable — or its predecessor Exxon — to build a new and safe pipeline in the aftermath of the 2015 spill, none of this would have happened, he said. When the state intervened to block Sable, Nelson argued, Sable responded by enlisting the aid of the White House.
Supervisor Steve Lavagnino, usually the other reliably pro-oil vote on the board, voted in favor of the resolution condemning the federal intervention, as did Supervisors Laura Capps and Roy Lee. Supervisor Joan Hartmann was recused from participating because her home is sufficiently close to the Sable pipeline as to constitute a conflict of interest.
Tuesday’s vote comes just days after the revelation that Sable attorneys notified county officials they need county clearance to dig up 12 lengths of pipeline to determine whether they’re as corroded as a federally mandated tests indicated they were. Should the 12 “anomalies” eat into the wall of the steel pipeline by 40 percent or more, the company would be required to repair that portion of pipe.
Although the county counsel’s office has not yet decided whether to issue Sable such a clearance — or even what the county’s jurisdictional authority is — Sable work crews have been out digging up pipeline since September 8.
For the time being, county officials are saying they do not know how many — if any — of the 12 anomalies will require repair. According to county spokesperson Kelsey Buttita, the county does not know how corroded the test said the 12 anomaly hot spots were.
According to Buttita, Sable told the county that pipeline excavation and repair can be conducted “live,” meaning that pumping need not stop for the work to get done. The first leg of the work ran September 8-15. The next leg is underway and will continue until September 26.
