California attorney general Rob Bonta said he has sued the US energy department to stop it from using a cold-war era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries. Bonta alleged Wright’s restart order violates state law, state court orders and a settlement approved by a federal court. The Santa Ynez platform was shut down due to a 2015 spill that dumped more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean and on to beaches near Santa Barbara. Wright’s order came as fuel prices have surged across the globe due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. “Donald Trump started a war, admitted it would spike gas prices nationwide, and told Americans it was a small price to pay,” said Newsom in a 13 March statement about Wright’s order.

Source: The Guardian March 24, 2026 04:23 UTC