By Katie Davis
Ten years ago I was on the beach in Goleta after the Refugio oil spill. It smelled of oil. I saw a dead dolphin, with oil in its blowhole, and I imagined its terror at not being able to breathe.
I was reflecting on this sad memory because in March the Trump administration ordered the pipeline that caused that major oil spill to restart. Sable’s operation is unpermitted, unapproved and puts the entire coastline at risk.
But it’s even bigger than that. Because if the Trump Administration can issue a decree that over-rides state laws, court orders prohibiting restart, private property rights that violate the US constitution, (according to the State Attorney General), then it threatens the very rule of law in the country.
This is exactly why the “No Kings” protest that filled the streets on March 28 was so resonant.
The Sable CEO, of course, was a donor to Trump’s campaign, and so this is also a story about corruption. It seems that Trump will stop at nothing to reward his friends in the oil industry who funded his campaign.
His administration has launched wars in Venezuela and Iran, demanding that Venezuela hand over its oil to American oil companies. They have opened public lands and waters for drilling – though they removed Trump’s home state of Florida from the offshore oil lease plan. They have canceled funds for solar and EV charging–anything that competes with fossil fuels.
Most recently, the Trump administration announced they are paying a French company a billion dollars to cancel a planned offshore wind energy project on the east coast and made them promise to invest in fossil fuels instead.
The Trump administration is also erasing climate science, but they can’t change the laws of physics. The fact remains that burning fossil fuels causes climate change. Every year it is getting hotter with more deadly fires and floods. This makes local and state climate action even more important.
Renewable Energy
We continue doing our part. Our region is influential and pivotal. After the 1969 oil spill, we created national environmental laws. We stopped new offshore drilling in state waters forever. We’ve led on energy too.
In 2017 the city of Santa Barbara was the thirtieth city in the entire country to set a goal of 100% renewable energy. Other cities in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties followed, and both counties have joined community choice agencies to achieve it. We inspired others and created momentum.
California also set a goal of 100% renewable energy. Then twenty-four states set a goal of 100% renewable energy, covering 53% of the US population, including Puerto Rico.
It is worth remembering that all of this seemed impossible before it happened.
It is also important to recognize that renewable energy is now market competitive, in many cases cheaper than oil, gas and coal. Batteries, electric cars and electric appliances are also rapidly growing, becoming more affordable and a better choice. The world is moving to cleaner energy, and while the Trump administration can slow things down, in the long-term, they are fighting the tide of history.
As Bill McKibben, cofounder of Third Act, put it: “About five years ago, we crossed an invisible line where it became cheaper to produce power with the sun and wind and batteries than by setting stuff on fire.”
Our Local is National
Here’s what we are doing locally to protect our rights and keep momentum going on the clean energy front. First, we are fighting the Sable restart at every level, every state agency, every elected official, every court. The California Attorney General just filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s illegal order.
Our local fight is national news so we need to show that oil companies can’t just override all state and local laws.
At the same time, we are going to continue to act on climate, and show what is possible. For instance, right now in Santa Barbara County it is legal to drill for oil, but it is basically illegal to build a solar farm, with very few exceptions. We are going to reverse that.
First, we are going to ban new oil drilling in Santa Barbara County. The County Planning Commission is considering a prohibition on new oil drilling at their April 8 meeting. See the organization support letter below for more detail. Send an email of support. Show up at the meeting. You can find instructions for commenting here: bit.ly/sbphaseout
Then on May 6, the SB County Planning Commission will consider expanding where solar is allowed, such as allowing it in industrial and agricultural zones.
We are proud that Santa Barbara County is prosecuting Sable for breaking laws, including felonies, and holding them accountable. The CA legislature has made it clear that Sable needs coastal development permits. The CA Coastal Commission has fined Sable a record $18 million dollars for unpermitted work.
State Parks has refused to give Sable a new lease and easement through Gaviota Park. And the CA Attorney General has two lawsuits against the Trump administration for taking regulatory oversight away from the state, and for the illegal restart order.
At the same time, this is an opportunity for our region to break free from the grip of oil that pollutes our air and water, that causes asthma and cancer, that is wrecking our climate. Just as we were early movers on fossil fuels – where we have been drilling for over 100 years – we can now become pioneers in renewable energy. And we can use that clean energy to electrify our cars, homes, businesses, and buses and build a better, safer future. The central coast of California is a particularly beautiful and unique place.
It is worth the fight.
sign-on-letter-oil-ordinance-april-2026.pdf