Texas Producer Battles California to Restart Offshore Oil Platforms

A Texas oil firm is fighting an uphill battle with the state of California to restart crude oil production and sales from three platforms in federal waters offshore Santa Barbara. Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp, led by industry veteran James Flores, is embroiled in contentious legal battles with California’s agencies and attorney general over a project to restore and re-launch a pipeline from the offshore fields to the coast. Faced with California’s opposition and lawsuits, Sable is proposing an alternative plan to ship oil via shuttle tankers with operations in federal waters only, which would bypass California’s state agencies. Despite the…