California is taking the Trump administration to court over federal regulators’ move to seize oversight of a controversial oil pipeline system connecting offshore rigs to onshore infrastructure.
What happened: California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and the Office of the State Fire Marshal filed a lawsuit Friday in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Transportation Department’s assertion of jurisdiction over the onshore portion of an oil pipeline that state officials have repeatedly sanctioned.
“In its latest unlawful power grab, the Trump Administration is illegally claiming exclusive federal authority over two of California’s onshore pipelines,” Bonta said in a statement. “California will not stand idly by as the president endangers California’s beautiful coastline and our public health to increase profits for his fossil fuel industry friends.”
Why it matters: The legal action represents a significant escalation in California’s ongoing conflict with the Trump administration over the president’s desire to expand oil production off the Golden State’s coast.
