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Santa Barbara supervisors deny Sable Offshoretransfer, citing repeated violations and financial concerns
Summary
After a full-day hearing with hours of public comment, the board voted 3—to—1 to deny Sable Offshore's request to transfer county oil permits and change operators, after opponents presented evidence of permit violations, corrosion issues on pipelines and what they described as inadequate financial assurances.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3—to—1 on Dec. 16 to deny a proposed transfer of county oil permits and a change of operator to Sable Offshore following a contested public hearing that stretched over several hours.
The appeal was filed after the county planning commission and staff recommended denial, and environmental groups including the Environmental Defense Center and the Sierra Club urged the board to uphold that decision. Terra Gifford, an attorney for the Environmental Defense Center, told the board the record showed repeated regulatory violations, evidence of pipeline corrosion and a lack of reliable financial assurances to cover potential cleanup and remediation costs.
"Sable has not demonstrated the financial capacity or the…
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