Ari Phillips
/
April 2, 2026
Trump invokes emergency defense act to restart California oil pipeline that burst a decade ago
On March 13, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright invoked the rarely used Defense Production Act and directed Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. to restart a pipeline that caused a massive oil spill near Santa Barbara in 2015. The move to restart the pipeline represents a major development in a years-long battle over the Santa Ynez project, which includes three offshore oil platforms and the pipeline connecting them to processing facilities on land.