A town hall meeting is set to talk about controversial efforts to restart some idle oil platforms off the Santa Barbara County coast.
Sable Offshore Corporation wants to repair and restart the oil pipeline on the Gaviota coastline which ruptured in 2015, causing a 140,000-gallon oil spill. Restarting the pipeline would allow the reopening of three offshore oil platforms which have been shut down since the accident.
A coalition of community groups and residents opposes the efforts, contending reactivating the aging facilities would set the stage for another environmental disaster. Opponents are bringing out some famous names to help in the fight. Jane Fonda and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are among those set to participate in a pre-town hall event.
Sable is arguing several existing permits cover the restart. Opponents say at the least, they want the state to do more review.
California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot will moderate the town hall. Representatives of some state agencies will be on hand to answer questions.
The town hall is informational only and no action will be taken. It’s Thursday afternoon at 4 at La Cumbre Junior High School in Santa Barbara.
