- Start
- Jul 7, 202690% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
Ninth Circuit Hears the Challenges to PHMSA's Takeover of Sable's Pipelines
- On Tuesday 7 July 2026 seven environmental groups and the State of California asked a three-judge Ninth Circuit panel to block PHMSA's approval of the onshore pipeline linking Sable Offshore's Santa Ynez Unit platforms with onshore processing, shut since the 2015 Refugio oil spill and restarted in March[1]
- Attorney Jeremy Frankel, for the seven nonprofits, told the panel 'The oil is flowing through the pipelines as of March 13' and that the lines grow more dangerous every day as they corrode[1]
- The central question is whether the onshore line is interstate transportation under federal oversight or an intrastate line between two facilities; the government called the Las Flores Canyon plant a 'way station', while California Deputy Attorney General Michael Dorsi argued the oil is changed there and 'That facility is not pipeline transportation'[1]
- Judges Richard Tallman and Richard Paez questioned the lawyers; Dorsi offered the 2020 consent decree as an 'off-ramp', and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Robert Stander said that was for U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson, who oversees the decree[1]
- The panel asked for more of the record behind the decision to federalize the Las Flores system, which the Justice Department's lawyer called an issue of first impression in the circuit and nationwide[3]
- After PHMSA issued a new special permit on 25 June, the court ruled that the new permit moots the challenge to the first, emergency permit, according to the Center for Biological Diversity[2]
References 381% CONFIDENCEOverall confidence: 81%How well the pin's source and references back up its dates.Weighted average of how firmly 3 references, the source included, support the pin's start and end times; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newestShow all pins at 75% confidence or better
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]90%courthousenews.com/ninth-circuit-asked-to-shut-down-california-offshore-oil-drilling-operationcourthousenews.com· Posted Sep 28, 2026· Starts Jul 7, 2026 ✓· 37% of score
Courthouse News, 7 July 2026: 'Seven environmental groups and the state of California asked a Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday to block the federal government's approval of a pipeline'; Bloomberg Law[3] the same day reports 'oral arguments Tuesday'.
- [2]72%Lawsuit Challenges Second Trump Administration Permit for California Coastal Oil Pipelinebiologicaldiversity.org· Published Sep 22, 2026· 36% of score
Center for Biological Diversity release on the follow-up suit: 'The groups also sued over the first one, but the court ruled the new permit moots that lawsuit.'
- [3]82%Sable Pipeline Jurisdiction Issue Leaves Appeals Panel Stumpednews.bloomberglaw.com· Published Jul 7, 2026· Starts Jul 7, 2026· 27% of score
Bloomberg Law: the Ninth Circuit 'asked for more records behind the Trump administration's decision to federalize the Las Flores pipeline system during oral arguments Tuesday'; the Justice Department's lawyer called it 'an issue of first impression in the circuit and nationwide'.
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