US energy secretary directs oil company to restore operations off California

WASHINGTON: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed a Texas-based oil and gas company on Friday to restore operations in waters off the southern coast of California that were damaged by a 2015 oil spill, invoking the Defense Production Act.

Restoring Sable Offshore Corp’s Santa Ynez unit and pipeline off Santa Barbara aims to address supply-disruption risks, according to a departmental news release. The unit includes three rigs in federal waters, offshore and onshore pipelines, and the Las Flores Canyon Processing Facility. The facility can produce about 50,000 barrels of oil a day and would replace nearly 1.5 million barrels of foreign crude each month, officials said.

‘The Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,’ Wright said in a statement. ‘Unfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to the same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also for our national security. Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defence, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.’

On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reverse former President Joe Biden’s ban on future offshore oil drilling on the east and west coasts. A federal court later struck down Biden’s order to withdraw 625 million acres of federal waters from oil development.

By RSS/AP