Secretary Wright Directs Sable Offshore to Restore the Santa Ynez Unit and Pipeline

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today directed Sable Offshore Corp. to restore operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline System to address supply disruption risks caused by California policies that have left the region and U.S. military forces dependent on foreign oil.

Energy.gov

March 13, 2026

WASHINGTON —U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright today directed Sable Offshore Corp. to restore operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline System to address supply disruption risks caused by California policies that have left the region and U.S. military forces dependent on foreign oil. This action issued under authorities provided by the Defense Production Act and delegated through Executive Order, “National Defense Resources Preparedness,” as amended by President Trump’s Executive Order, “ Adjusting Certain Delegations Under the Defense Production Act.”

“The Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,” Secretary Wright said. “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.”

Sable's facility can produce approximately 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.

California once supplied nearly 40 percent of U.S. oil production, but decades of radical state policies targeting reliable energy sources have driven a decline in domestic output while fuel demand remains among the highest in the nation. 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.

Unlike other regions of the country, California remains largely disconnected from interstate crude pipelines that move American oil to refineries across the United States. The action also prioritizes pipeline transportation capacity to ensure crude produced offshore California moves through the Las Flores Pipeline System to Pentland Station and into interstate pipelines, allowing American energy to reach domestic refineries more efficiently, while reducing California's reliance on foreign oil vulnerable to geopolitical disruption.

Sable Offshore currently employs more than 100 workers and approximately 400 contractors in Santa Barbara County, and restoring operations is expected to create hundreds of additional American energy jobs while generating millions in local economic activity.

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