Protesters are planning a rally outside a California Coastal Commission meeting in Santa Cruz on Wednesday to oppose efforts by a Texas company to restart an offshore oil and gas pipeline in Southern California a decade after it ruptured, causing a damaging oil spill.
Two groups, the Center for Biological Diversity and Save Our Shores, are planning a protest at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Leibrandt Avenue in Santa Cruz ahead of the commission’s meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp. has announced plans to repair and restart the pipeline in order to begin offshore drilling at a site near Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County. A May 2015 oil spill at that location killed hundreds of birds and marine animals and shut down fisheries along a 150-mile stretch of coastline.
Sable requires approvals from several state agencies, including the Coastal Commission, which in November issued a cease-and-desist order, saying the company did not have the proper permits to conduct repair work. Protestors are pushing the commission to require the company to submit a coastal development permit to restart work on the pipeline.
The rally will begin at 8:30 a.m. near 313 Riverside Ave. in Santa Cruz. Speakers will include Katie Thompson, executive director at Save Our Shores, and Brady Bradshaw, senior oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Have news that should be in Lookout Briefs? Send your press releases, including contact information, to news@lookoutlocal.com.
