On May 19, 2015, the Refugio oil spill erupted from a corroded pipeline near the 101 Freeway into a drainage culvert, covering Refugio State Beach and wildlife in thick crude oil. More than 120,000 gallons contaminated the biologically rich waters of the Santa Barbara Channel, fouling shorelines in Ventura County and as far south as Redondo Beach.
The 10-year anniversary of the disaster was marked on Sunday, May 18, with Ventura and Santa Barbara county environmental activists holding a ceremonial “paddle out” on surfboards.
Alex Katz is executive director of the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center which has fought battles over offshore oil drilling for decades.
“Refugio Beach is this beautiful place. It’s very pristine. And it’s kind of easy to forget that 10 years ago, that beach and the waves were just black with oil,” Katz told the Ventura County Reporter. “It destroyed a lot of coastal ecosystems and had a big economic impact on this part of the state as well. So, it was kind of a moment to remember that spill and how devastating that was. And be able to go out and get in the water and appreciate being able to do that while we still can.”
Surprise announcement from oil company
Early the following morning, on the actual anniversary date of the Refugio oil spill, the company that owns the pipeline that broke along with three offshore oil platforms and two onshore processing facilities, made an announcement that came as a surprise to the coalition of activists opposed to offshore oil drilling.
After buying the facilities from ExxonMobil last year, Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. (SOC) announced that oil is flowing again for the first time in a decade. In a news release distributed by Business Wire, a global news release distribution service, SOC reported the restart of oil production at the Santa Ynez Unit and anticipated sales from the Las Flores Pipeline System in July 2025.
“Flowing oil production” began on May 15, the news release stated, from six wells on Platform Harmony at the rate of about 6,000 barrels a day. SOC expects to begin production from two other platforms, Heritage and Hondo, in July and August, respectively.
Jim Flores, SOC chairman and chief executive officer, stated in the release that the company is proud of the accomplishment. “The impressive well tests from Platform Harmony confirm the prolific nature of the Santa Ynez Unit reservoir after being dormant for ten years. SOC is excited about our development plan and prospects for the future.”
Tanks at the Las Flores Canyon production facility will be filled with about 540,000 barrels by the middle of next month, SOC officials said.
Criminal charges and record fines
The road to restart the flow of oil from facilities impacted by the Refugio oil spill has taken numerous twists and turns, with ownership of the offshore drilling and onshore processing facilities passing from Plains All-American Pipeline L.P., then to ExxonMobil and now to SOC.
Plains All-American Pipeline was criminally convicted by a Santa Barbara County jury during 2018 including counts involving killing marine birds and animals as well as negligently discharging oil in violation of county ordinances. The company was ordered to pay $72.5 million.
ExxonMobil proposed utilizing trucks instead of pipelines to bring offshore crude oil to market, but that plan was shot down by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in 2022.
On February 18, 2025, the latest owner, SOC, sued the California Coastal Commission (CCC), claiming pipeline repair and maintenance work was being unlawfully halted. CCC officials said SOC ignored multiple cease-and-desist orders by continuing pipeline work. During a five-hour hearing in Santa Barbara on April 10, the CCC fined the oil company $18 million, considered a record-breaking penalty for the state agency.
EDC keeps up fight
The Environmental Defense Center recently sued the Office of the State Fire Marshal over a recent approval of SOC’s pipeline plans, and Katz said they continue to battle the oil industry on other fronts, such as supporting a May 13 vote by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to essentially phase out onshore oil production over time and ban future drilling applications. Cox said they were not aware oil was already flowing from one offshore platform near Refugio State Beach while they paddled out May 18, and were shocked to see the news disseminated by the company just hours later.
“It is deeply disappointing and tragic for Sable to announce on the day of the 10-year anniversary of this devastating event that they are resuming production and that they’re hoping to resume operations with this pipeline in the near future,” Katz said.
The VCReporter reached out to SOC for more details about the lengthy and detailed news release, which does not include any direct references to the Refugio oil spill. A company spokesperson said in an email that SOC “is not doing interviews right now” and, regarding a question about the timing of the news release on the anniversary of the Refugio oil spill, provided this response.
“Crude has been flowing since the 15th; the timing has nothing to do with anniversary of the Refugio spill.”