A California judge granted a temporary restraining order Tuesday blocking a waiver issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration that would allow a Texas-based oil company to restart a crude pipeline off Santa Barbara.
What happened: Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Donna Geck issued an order restraining Sable Offshore from proceeding with the restart and operation of the Las Flores pipeline system, a 124-mile crude oil pipeline from Santa Barbara to Kern County that has been dormant since a 2015 spill.
That order will remain in place until a July hearing where Sable and the California State Fire Marshal, which issued the waiver, can argue against a preliminary injunction being granted.
The ruling is the second legal blow in a week for Sable. Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Thomas Anderle issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday, ordering the company to stop repairs on the pipeline, upholding a cease-and-desist order the California Coastal Commission issued in April.
