California opened a new legal front Monday in its monthslong effort to stop a Trump administration-backed offshore oil company from sending its oil via pipeline through the state.
What happened: California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and the state fire marshal Monday sued the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. The suit, filed in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, challenges a permit the agency issued to Sable Offshore last month, giving the company permission to transport the oil it pumps off the California coast through an onshore pipeline system to market.
Why it matters: The suit illustrates California’s ongoing effort to stymie Sable’s oil operation, despite failing so far in a slew of legal actions and regulatory moves.
“No matter how many times the 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,” Bonta said in a statement.
