GOLETA, Calif.— Central Coast community members will rally Thursday before a California State Lands Commission meeting to protest the proposed restart of three offshore oil platforms and other equipment, including the same failed pipeline that caused one of the worst oil spills in California history.

What: Rally and press conference calling on the commission to deny lease assignments for offshore oil and gas pipelines, a step toward allowing dangerous oil operations in Santa Barbara County to resume.

When: 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. The State Lands Commission meeting starts at 12 p.m.

Where: Goleta City Hall, 130 Cremona Dr. #B, Goleta, CA.

Who: Speakers will include Gabriel Frausto, Tribal chair of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation, and representatives from the Environmental Defense Center, Gaviota Coast Conservancy and Sierra Club Santa Barbara-Ventura Chapter.

Background
Sable Offshore Corp., a Texas oil company, is telling investors it plans to restart the Santa Ynez Unit as soon as next month. However, the company still needs a number of state and local approvals to resume operations, which have been shut down since a heavily corroded pipeline ruptured and caused the catastrophic Refugio oil spill in 2015.

The Refugio spill devastated 150 miles of the California coast, destroying thousands of acres of shoreline and subtidal habitat, killing untold numbers of animals and shutting down fisheries. It cost hundreds of millions to clean up and resulted in criminal convictions for the pipeline’s former owner.

The commission may decide in the next few months whether to grant Sable the lease assignments for the offshore pipelines it needs to bring the Santa Ynez Unit back online.