Trump Invokes the Defense Production Act to Force a Restart of Offshore Drilling Near Santa Barbara

On March 13, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order expanding the Energy Secretary's delegated authority under the Defense Production Act, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright then ordered Sable Offshore Corp. to restart the Santa Ynez Unit and the Gaviota Coast pipeline system in Santa Barbara County. Wright said the order would strengthen America's oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to national security and defense, ensuring West Coast military installations have reliable energy. The administration tied the action to fuel prices following the Iran conflict. The pipeline is the one that ruptured near Goleta in May 2015, releasing thousands of barrels in one of California's worst coastal spills; Sable bought the system from ExxonMobil in 2024 and projects output rising from about 30,000 to more than 50,000 barrels a day. Production restarted within days.

The Defense Production Act is an emergency authority; using it to compel a private operator to resume a project blocked under state permitting converts a wartime supply tool into a means of overriding state environmental review.

Governor Gavin Newsom said the state would sue and Attorney General Rob Bonta's office said it was reviewing the action. The administration later moved to intervene on Sable's behalf in a state parks lawsuit.