Governor Newsom condemns and vows to fight Trump for exploiting Iran war crisis of his own making to harm California’s coastline

What you need to know: Facing an oil and gas price crisis of his own making, President Trump is illegally invoking emergency powers to attempt to force a restart of the Sable Offshore Corp pipeline - a lawbreaking operation shut down in 2015 after spilling oil across California beaches and killing thousands of birds and marine mammals. Trump is failing to address the real cause of rising prices: his own war. This coastal oil drilling would be a drop in the bucket with no impact on the global price of oil. California will not allow this desperate political stunt to put our coastal communities, our environment, and our $51 billion coastal economy at risk.

SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom today condemned President Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright's desperate, reckless, and illegal orders invoking the Defense Production Act to attempt to restart the Sable Offshore pipeline. The move is Trump's political attempt to point the finger at California to divide and distract the American people from his wartime failures and the massive spike in oil and gasoline prices his war has caused. Oil from the Sable Offshore pipeline would be a "drop in the bucket," according to Bloomberg-0.05% of total oil production-that would have no impact on lowering global oil prices.

Experts and national security planners have long warned that any conflict in the Persian Gulf risked closing the Strait of Hormuz and triggering a global oil supply shock. Trump went to war either unprepared or willfully ignorant of what came next.

Donald Trump started a war, admitted it would spike gas prices nationwide, and told Americans it was a small price to pay. Now he's using this crisis of his own making to attempt what he's wanted to do for years: open California's coast for his oil industry friends so they can poison our beaches. This wouldn't lower prices by a cent. This is an attempt to illegally restart a pipeline whose operators are facing criminal charges and prohibited by multiple court orders from restarting.

California will not stand by while the Trump administration attempts to sacrifice our coastal communities, our environment, and our $51 billion coastal economy. The Trump administration and Sable are defying multiple court orders, and we will see them back in court.

Governor Gavin Newsom

The decision today by the Trump Administration and Secretary Wright is a wildly disingenuous attempt to pin the blame at California for the short-sighted decision to launch a war in Iran that is costing American taxpayers $11 billion dollars in the first week alone. The reason oil is nearly $100/barrel and gas prices are skyrocketing across the country isn't because of California's production, it's because of decisions from the Trump Administration. Not to mention the catastrophic environmental consequences from oil spills that have resulted in bipartisan support to keep offshore drilling out of California's coasts.

Acting Governor Eleni Kounalakis

The last time this pipeline operated, it was catastrophic. In 2015, 142,000 gallons of crude oil spilled onshore near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, causing 21,000 gallons to flow into the Pacific Ocean. Thousands of birds and marine mammals were killed, and 138 square miles of fisheries were closed for weeks, which triggered a $23.3 million settlement. Tourism was hammered. Fishing families lost their livelihoods. Communities bore hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs.

Sea lion pup covered in oil on Sands Beach on May 26, 2015. (Santa Barbara Channelkeeper)

The Sable pipeline has been offline since that spill, and it is barred by a 2020 federal court order from restarting absent approval of California safety inspectors. That order also required the pipeline operator to pay more than $60 million for damages to the State's natural resources and penalties, and to reimburse agencies for the cost of cleaning up the coast.

Under SB 237 (2025), authored by Senator Limon and Assemblymember Hart, enacted with strong bipartisan support in the Legislature, and signed by Governor Newsom, any restart must meet new, more rigorous safety requirements. These requirements exist precisely because of what happened in 2015. They are not bureaucratic obstacles. They are sensible safety measures that respond to the pipeline leak in 2015 and the devastating impacts it had on California's coastal communities, wildlife and economy.

"This administration has attempted to drill along our coastline despite decades of bipartisan opposition," said Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón. "This move will not address the volatile market being made more chaotic by the actions of this administration in Iran. This overreach can and will have serious implications throughout the state. Just like their actions have had an overnight impact on raising gasoline prices and increased security concerns for Californians."

"Donald Trump dragged the world into an energy crisis and is the driving force behind rising gas prices across the country," said Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas."Now, Trump is trying to distract from his damage with a tired playbook: more dangerous offshore drilling. Let's be clear - drilling off California's coast won't lower gas prices, and it won't clean up the mess Trump created. Any attempt to betray California voters and reopen our waters to risky offshore drilling will face immediate, bipartisan resistance. Our coastline is not a bargaining chip for political cover. We will always defend our pristine coast, its ecosystems, tourism economy, workers and communities."

"President Trump's catastrophic move to override State environmental laws by invoking the Defense Production Act is another step on the slippery slope toward authoritarianism," said Assemblymember Gregg Hart. "If the President can attack a foreign country without authorization from Congress and override state laws with unprecedented dubious legal authority - what is left of our Constitution?"

In January, the State Fire Marshal in Governor Newsom's Administration, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta, challenged the Trump administration's attempt to federalize these pipelines and bypass state oversight, and in a separate case in state court in Santa Barbara, a judge has issued an injunction barring Sable from restarting until all state approvals are secured and recently denied Sable's request to lift that injunction. Additionally, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney has brought criminal charges against Sable for alleged violations of California water-protection laws.

California will take prompt legal action to enforce these binding court orders and state law against Sable, and to challenge the Trump Administration's unlawful reliance on emergency powers. A presidential executive order cannot override state law. Additionally, Sable currently lacks legal permission for its pipeline to cross Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County because its agreement with the State terminated in 2016, and Sable may not keep or operate its pipeline on State property without the State's permission.

Trump's power grab would have zero impact on gas prices

Trump admitted he knew his Iran war would send gas prices up. Americans are now paying more than $1.5 billion extra at the pump this week alone, with prices still climbing. His answer is a pipeline that would contribute just 0.05% to total global crude oil production, and that represents less than 0.3% of the petroleum products that are trapped in the Persian Gulf because of Trump's war. That is a drop in the bucket that will solve the crisis he created.

Oil trades at a worldwide price. American crude sells to the highest bidder, not at a discount for American consumers. Prices are surging because Trump's military strikes on Iran have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, trapping an estimated 20% of the global oil supply in the Persian Gulf. Every $10-per-barrel increase in crude translates to roughly 24 cents more per gallon, which hits drivers Texas, Florida, California - and everywhere else.

The only thing that will actually stabilize global oil markets - and thus gasoline prices for American drivers - is reopening the Strait of Hormuz. But Trump has offered no plan to do that. The U.S. cannot drill its way out of a crisis of the President's own making.

Where in-state crude oil production is helpful, however, Governor Newsom and the Legislature have advanced their own plan: SB 237 (2025) - the same bill that imposes heightened safety requirements on offshore pipelines - also increases onshore crude oil production in Kern County, boosting domestic crude availability as California manages its long-term energy transition while maintaining strong health and environmental safeguards. Already this year under SB 237 (2025), Kern County has issued 385 oil well permits, and the California Geologic Energy Management Division has approved 138 permits for drilling new oil wells.

The cost of offshore oil and gas drilling: dead wildlife, devastated communities, billions of dollars in damages

This isn't Trump's first attempt to put California's coast at risk for the benefit of Big Oil. In January, Governor Newsom joined the governors of Oregon and Washington to formally oppose Trump's plan to open the California coast to new offshore oil and gas drilling for the first time in decades. Well blowouts, pipeline ruptures, and catastrophic spills are inherent risks of offshore oil and gas drilling, not isolated incidents. These disasters cost billions of dollars, take decades to remediate, and cause devastating impacts to marine ecosystems and coastal communities that depend on a clean, sustainable ocean environment for their livelihoods. These aren't hypothetical risks. They're California's reality. A few notable, major oil spills off the Golden State's coast include:

• 2021 Amplify Spill, Huntington Beach: approximately 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled; Amplify charged $210 million in civil and criminal penalties, $12 million in criminal fees, and an additional $18 million in criminal fees and cleanup costs.

• 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill: Over 4.2 million gallons spilled from a platform blowout, prompting the launch of the modern environmental movement.

California's conservation leadership in action

The Golden State is leading the nation in protecting its natural resources. Through California's 30×30 initiative, a commitment to conserve 30% of the state's lands and coastal waters by 2030, California added over 1 million acres of conserved land and waters in a single year. That's larger than the entire state of Rhode Island.

Under Governor Newsom's leadership in just the last year, California helped establish two new national monuments, launched a major project restoring shallow water habitats at the Salton Sea, and received international recognition for protecting marine habitats. California is also ensuring that all residents can access the state's natural wonders with programs like State Parks' discount pass programs and our Youth Community Access Program.

California's coast isn't just an environmental treasure-it's also an economic powerhouse that supports local jobs and businesses, generating over $51 billion annually.