When the corroded pipeline burst in 2015, inky crude spread along the Southern California coast, becoming the state's worst oil spill in decades. More than 140,000 gallons (3,300 barrels) of oil gushed out, blackening beaches for 150 miles from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, polluting a biologically rich habitat for endangered whales and sea turtles, killing scores of pelicans, seals and dolphins, and decimating the fishing industry.
When a Texas oil company first announced controversial plans to reactivate three drilling rigs off the coast of Santa Barbara County, investor presentations boasted that the venture had "massive resource potential" and was "primed for cash flow generation." But now, less than two years later, mounting legal setbacks and regulatory issues are casting increasing doubt on the project's future. Most recently, the California attorney general filed suit against Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp., accusing it of repeatedly putting "profits over environmental protections."