Oil begins flowing through California pipeline under Trump order, despite objections from officials
The Straits Times
The pipeline had been shut down since 2015, after one of the worst oil spills in state history. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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LOS ANGELES - Oil has begun flowing through a pipeline near Santa Barbara, California, for the first time in more than a decade after the Trump administration ordered offshore production to resume there despite strong objections from California officials.
The pipeline had been shut down since 2015, when a rupture caused one of the worst oil spills in state history, releasing more than 378,000 litres of oil onto California’s Central Coast and covering birds and beaches in tar.
The new owner of the pipeline, Sable Offshore, announced on March 16 that it had resumed oil production on March 14 at the direction of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and after President Donald Trump invoked the Defence Production Act, which the Trump administration said superseded state laws.
The moves came as oil prices have spiked during the Iran war, restricting access to the Strait of Hormuz, a major route for transporting Persian Gulf oil.
The reopening of the pipeline set off a new legal battle between the Trump administration and California leaders.
The pipeline had been shut down since 2015, after one of the worst oil spills in state history. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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