The Trump administration on Friday directed Sable Offshore to restart its operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline System off the coast of California, which comes as oil and gas prices surge as a result of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s order for oil production, which followed an executive order signed by President Trump on Friday, intends to “address supply disruption risks caused by California policies that have left the region and U.S. military forces dependent on foreign oil,” according to a statement.
“The Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,” Wright said in the statement. “Unfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to those same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also our national security.”
“Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness,” he added.
The Department of Energy stated that Sable Offshore’s facility can produce around 50,000 barrels of oil per day, “a 15 percent increase to California’s in-state oil production, that can replace nearly 1.5 million barrels of foreign crude each month.”
The department claimed that “decades of radical state policies targeting reliable energy sources” have resulted in a decline in domestic output.
“Today, more than 60 percent of the oil refined in California comes from overseas, with a significant share traveling through the Strait of Hormuz—presenting serious national security threats,” officials said.
Trump’s executive order will also prioritize pipeline transportation capacity, ensuring that crude oil produced off California’s coast travels through interstate pipelines. This action intends to allow California’s “reliance on foreign oil vulnerable to geopolitical disruption” to be reduced.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) called Trump’s order the “latest brazen abuse of power.”
“We will not stand by as this administration continues their unlawful all-out assault on California and our coastlines, and we are reviewing all of our legal options,” Bonta wrote on the social platform X.
California previously sued the Trump administration for approving the oil pipelines back in January. Bonta argued then that the Golden State “has seen first-hand the devastating environmental and public health impacts of coastal oil spills — yet the Trump Administration will stop at nothing to evade state regulation which protects against these very disasters.”
The administration has dismissed worries over rising gas prices following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has halted the passage of around 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas. Trump recently defended the price hikes, arguing on Thursday that “when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money.”
The Trump administration has also temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil stranded at sea in response to the rising prices as a result of the military offensive in Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that the “narrowly tailored” measure “will not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government” and will be in effect until April 11.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5784176-trump-orders-restart-california-oil/
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