Judge Allows Santa Barbara Offshore Oil Restart With Federal Oversight Shift
A federal judge ruled that Sable Offshore Corp. can continue pumping oil along Santa Barbara County’s coast under a Trump-era Defense Production Act order, transferring regulatory authority from California to federal agencies and fining the company about $1.5 million for violating a restart consent decree. California officials plan to appeal, and experts say the ruling could set a precedent for federal preemption of state environmental laws in energy projects.