California sues Trump administration to block order restarting offshore oil operation

California is suing the Trump administration over President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Defense Production Act to force an oil company to restart previously shut-down offshore operations in the state.Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based oil and gas company, to restore activity at the Santa Ynez Unit and the Santa Ynez Pipeline System located off the coast of Santa Barbara earlier this month.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters at a press conference Monday that it is “just not true” that there’s a national emergency despite the president’s invocation of the federal act, which supersedes state laws.
“The U.S. already produces significantly more oil and gas than we use – it’s a completely fabricated claim intended to curry favor with the oil industry,” said Bonta, according to The Hill. “California has seen first-hand the devastating environmental and public health impacts of these pipelines rupturing, and there are court-ordered legal requirements in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.” 
The lawsuit also alleges the order violates a judicial consent decree that was supported by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which allows the state to have a role in reviewing and planning the restart of any onshore pipelines.
Sable praised Wright’s order, stating that it allows the company to put “California consumers first by increasing domestic supply of crude oil into the California market.”
“We look forward to working closely with the Department of Energy in fully complying with the DPA and working with the Trump administration to take all necessary steps to deliver the energy necessary for the security and defense of the country,” Sable Chairman and CEO Jim Flores said in a statement. 

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