After a 10-year shutdown following a 2015 spill that fouled 150 miles of coastline, a Texas company restarted offshore oil production last week.

On May 15, Sable Offshore Corp. announced it began producing oil again on the Santa Ynez Unit, made up of three offshore oil platforms north of Santa Barbara. The company had purchased the unit and associated pipelines following the Refugio Oil Spill, which released more than 100,000 gallons, killed over 550 seabirds, and shut down nearby beaches for two months.

Sable has rebuffed efforts by the California Coastal Commission to stop its work repairing, upgrading, and attempting to restart the pipeline responsible for the spill. The commission on April 10 voted to fine Sable $18.2 million for unpermitted construction, alleging that the company started work without approval, refused to apply for a coastal development permit, and ignored two cease-and-desist orders.