Oil production restarted offshore of Santa Barbara County 10 years after spill

May 21, 2025

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Approximately 10 years after a major spill off the Gaviota Coast, oil production has resumed offshore of Santa Barbara County. [KFI AM 640]

In 2015, a pipe owned by Plains All American Pipeline ruptured near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, causing more than 100,000 gallons of oil to spill. About 21,000 gallons of oil flowed into a culvert and then into a ditch that drains into the ocean.

The spill spread over 9 miles of coastline, mostly consisting of sandy beaches.

Last week, Sable Offshore Corp., a Texas-based company, resumed oil production in federal waters offshore of Santa Barbara County. Sable announced it started extracting oil from one of three platforms that had been closed since the 2015 spill.

The resumption of offshore oil production comes just a month after the California Coastal Commission fined Sable $18 million and ordered a halt to their work for not obtaining necessary permits. The company disputes the Coastal Commission’s finding, arguing it has all the required permits for its operations.

Sable is extracting oil at a rate of about 6,000 barrels per day from Platform Harmony. It plans to restart additional wells at Platforms Heritage and Hondo by July and August. 

The company expects to fill the Las Flores Canyon processing facility’s storage capacity by mid-June and begin oil sales in July. Sable remains committed to its operations, despite legal challenges and opposition.

Environmental groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity, have criticized the offshore oil production restart, citing risks to sensitive habits and species. Local residents have expressed opposition to the timing of the restart coinciding with 10th anniversary of the Refugio oil spill.