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(CN) — California filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday challenging an order to reopen two onshore oil pipelines in Southern California.
In the complaint filed in the Northern District of California, California Attorney General Rob Bonta claims the federal government does not have the authority under the Defense Production Act to restart oil transport through the two oil pipelines, known as the Las Flores Pipelines.
“The Department of Energy’s baseless order evades state law, state court orders and a federal court-approved consent decree, while also violating federal law and the U.S. Constitution,” Bonta said at a press conference announcing the lawsuit. “We won’t let this outrageous federal overreach go without a fight, which is why we’re taking the Trump administration to court again today.”
On March 13, Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed Sable Offshore Corp, which owns and operates the pipelines, to restore operation to “address supply disruption risks caused by California policies that have left the region and U.S. military forces dependent on foreign oil.”
The order invoked the Defense Production Act, as well as executive orders signed by Trump declaring a “National Energy Emergency.”
“Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness,” Wright said in a press release.
Bonta disputed Wright’s claims the pipeline is necessary for national defense, claiming the reopening was a political move to “reward the oil industry.”
“No matter how much President Trump may claim there’s a so-called ‘National Energy Emergency,’ it’s just not true,” he said. “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 and send business its way.”
California argues the invocation of the Defense Production Act order tramples on California’s sovereign power and violates federal law. The state further accuses the federal government of sidestepping existing court orders put in place after a 2015 oil spill from the pipelines near Refugio State Beach sent hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil into the ocean and affected coastline 100 miles away, according to Bonta.
“California has seen firsthand the devastating environmental and public health impacts of these pipeline ruptures, and there are court-ordered legal requirements in place to ensure that it doesn’t happen again,” he said.
The state is asking the court to declare Wright’s order unconstitutional and block the operation of the pipelines without the state’s approval.
Representatives for the Department of Justice and Sable did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is the second time California has taken legal action against the Trump administration over its attempt to restart the Las Flores Pipelines. In January, Bonta filed a lawsuit in the Ninth Circuit challenging the federal government’s claim that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the Las Flores Pipelines, and a subsequent restart plan enabling their return to service.
The state in its suit says that jurisdiction over the pipeline lies solely with California because no part of the affected pipeline — from Santa Barbara County to Kern County — crosses into another state or international waters.
Sable also sued the California Department of Parks and Recreation on March 13, seeking to confirm its rights under the Defense Production Act.
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