The Left does not get it. The public wants cheaper gas and energy. They want limited and expensive energy. It is time to end the stranglehold the Left has on families and businesses.
“Sable’s pipelines won’t just aid oil transport — they also continue a cycle of pollution that we should be working to end, not extend.
Crude oil, natural gas, and their products are the most important ingredients for manufacturing plants. In order to clean up the industrial sector, we need to transition away from crude oil and natural gas, not the opposite. Expanding oil infrastructure with ventures like Las Flores pipelines locks us into decades of pollution, worsening climate change and increasing the risk of environmental disaster.
If allowed to restart, profits will surge for the pipeline’s owner, Sable Offshore Corp., but it comes at incredible risk for those living nearby. The restart of Sable’s pipeline is, strictly from an engineer’s point of view, dangerous. As it would pump millions of tons of pollution into California, reopening this pipeline is a bad investment in our future and a massive environmental risk that could endanger coastal communities and decimate marine ecosystems. Pipeline failure leads to undrinkable water and contaminates the land for humans and animals that depend on the area for their livelihood and survival.”
Clearly, he wants no oil and no energy. Wonder if he has enough sticks to rub together to start a fire to cook or keep warm? We can no longer allow these haters of the modern era destroy us.
The Oil Pipelines Cannot Be Allowed to Restart
Pipeline Failure Would Lead to Undrinkable Water and Contamination
By Aidan O’Neil, Santa Barbara Independent, 2/22/25 https://www.independent.com/2025/02/22/the-oil-pipelines-cannot-be-allowed-to-restart/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Indy+Today%3A+The+New+Reality+for+Santa+Barbara+s+Immigrant+Community&utm_campaign=Indy+Today%2C+Tuesday+2%2F25&vgo_ee=oVTIQ30XjRYtOIbjBcFmPOq4323bWaMSziNAQIaSjR%2F79jRglDZWfuLi%3AepsuydUexUdNy3MPZGKCwZu8MaKfhlnW
As an environmental researcher at UC Santa Barbara, I find ways to reduce pollution and address climate change. The oil pipelines of the Santa Ynez Unit cannot be allowed to restart. Approval of a restart won’t help the Santa Barbara community, but it will continue contributing to the pollution we are all working to stop.
Pipelines provide everything industrial America desires — fuel to burn and building blocks to produce products we buy. The Santa Ynez Unit pipelines are a network to transport crude oil and natural gas from offshore and the coast. Right now, Sable Offshore Corp. is proposing to restart this network of on- and off-shore pipelines in Santa Barbara County, which are now called Las Flores Pipeline System. This would be a big win for a select few manufacturing plants in California. With greater access to the top two chemical feedstocks for production, these plants would likely be able to increase output while decreasing production costs.
However, while a big win for the profits of multimillion dollar companies, it is at the expense of all California communities. Sprinkled all across California, nestled mainly in low-income neighborhoods, lies a land of smokestacks. There, companies pollute the air and water for all surrounding communities with no checks.
Sable’s pipelines won’t just aid oil transport — they also continue a cycle of pollution that we should be working to end, not extend.
Crude oil, natural gas, and their products are the most important ingredients for manufacturing plants. In order to clean up the industrial sector, we need to transition away from crude oil and natural gas, not the opposite. Expanding oil infrastructure with ventures like Las Flores pipelines locks us into decades of pollution, worsening climate change and increasing the risk of environmental disaster.
If allowed to restart, profits will surge for the pipeline’s owner, Sable Offshore Corp., but it comes at incredible risk for those living nearby. The restart of Sable’s pipeline is, strictly from an engineer’s point of view, dangerous. As it would pump millions of tons of pollution into California, reopening this pipeline is a bad investment in our future and a massive environmental risk that could endanger coastal communities and decimate marine ecosystems. Pipeline failure leads to undrinkable water and contaminates the land for humans and animals that depend on the area for their livelihood and survival.
In May 2015, this is exactly what happened.
The pipeline rupture released an estimated 142,880 gallons of crude oil near Refugio State Beach. The spill shut down local fisheries, closed multiple beaches, and halted tourism and recreational activities such as camping, non-commercial fishing, and beach visits. The spill also resulted in the deaths of 202 birds, and 99 marine mammals (including sea lions and dolphins). Cleanup efforts spread over 150 miles of coastline, took more than two months to complete, and cost taxpayers over $74 million. This is the worst-case scenario. However, the harm caused even without a spill is still insurmountable.
An estimated 30,000 barrels a day (over one million gallons) will flow out of Sable’s pipeline if restarted. For reference, that’s the volume of 522 Olympic-sized swimming pools every year.
Best case scenario: Every day, 30,000 barrels of crude oil are converted into energy, consumer goods, and 1,515 tons of carbon dioxide. Each barrel burned locks us further into a future of pollution. Yet, sustainable alternatives already exist. It’s time to shift our investments toward these solutions instead of continuing to prioritize the interests of oil giants.
Adding insult to injury, the restart of Las Flores Pipeline System would lead to the restart of the Santa Ynez Unit, which includes a refining plant in Gaviota that used to release 309,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents annually. Santa Barbara County’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions would more than triple.
Worst case scenario: The pipeline ruptures, and the 2015 Refugio spill repeats itself 10 years later.
California and Santa Barbara both have emission reduction plans. If the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approves this pipeline, we will be approving a half megaton per year of carbon emissions for the next 50 years. This decision creates a “lock in”: a situation where instead of supporting new approaches to decarbonization, industry will continue to rely on fossil fuels.
The world is rapidly starting to confront the disastrous impacts of climate change, and the reopening of this pipeline will only contribute to more warming. We have the technologies to begin divesting away from oil and natural gas as a primary source of energy and material. We need to start investing in sustainable infrastructure that also serves the people, not just the wealthiest companies.
Sable Offshore Corp. is putting profits over people and the environment. They are hoping 10 years is enough time to forget what corporate greed and negligence cost California’s residents and wildlife.
At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, February 25, the Environmental Defense Council is presenting to the Board of Supervisors to request denying Sable’s application for transfer of permits for all of ExxonMobil’s oil production facilities. That is why I will be standing with the Sierra Club, Get Oil Out!, SBCAN, Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, and my fellow students to protect our communities from harmful decisions and to advocate for a cleaner, more sustainable future.
