A company pushing to reopen a pipeline carrying oil from offshore drilling rigs to the California coast is attempting to transfer oversight of its infrastructure from Golden State regulators to federal officials.
What happened: Sable Offshore notified the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last week that the company had determined that its pipeline connecting the Santa Ynez Unit — a trio of platforms in federal waters off the Santa Barbara coast — to Kern County should be considered an interstate pipeline.
Sable asked PHMSA to agree with its evaluation and provide the company with guidance on transitioning regulatory oversight from the California Office of the State Fire Marshal to the federal agency, according to a financial filing the company submitted Monday.
Why it matters: If Sable’s effort is successful, it will effectively sidestep a California regulator that has signaled skepticism of the company’s reopening plan, landing instead with the Trump administration, which has expressed support for Sable and offshore drilling.
