Legislation to Establish Clear Pipeline Restart Requirements Clears First Committee

(SACRAMENTO) – On Tuesday, legislation by Senator Monique Limón to establish requirements for the approval and restart of oil pipelines in California passed out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. SB 542 comes in response to community concerns over the restart process of the Sable Offshore Pipeline in Santa Barbara County. 

“The oil pipeline restart process has been concerning from the moment this pipeline project began,” said Senator Monique Limón. “SB 542 seeks to not only provide a clear opportunity for the public to weigh in on the restart process, but it strengthens required integrity testing to better protect our community from a possible oil spill in the future.”  

In March, Senator Monique Limón and Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D – Santa Barbara) held a town hall regarding the restart of the Sable Offshore Pipeline with hundreds of community members. SB 542 provides a process that allows the public to weigh in on what the “worst-case scenario” spill could be, prior to the Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) administrator issuing a Certificate of Financial Responsibility. 

SB 542 also requires a comprehensive hydro test to better identify corroded sections of pipelines that have not been in use for five or more years. In order to reduce the risk of an oil spill, testing the integrity of a pipeline is vital to protecting the environment. The testing process used in the pipeline that spilled in 2015, though helpful, was not thorough enough to detect the corrosion that eventually led to the spill. A more comprehensive testing method, the hydrostatic test or hydro test, coupled with an in-line test, seeks to better assess the safety and integrity of the pipeline. 

SB 542 will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee next month before a vote can be taken on the Senate Floor. To learn more about SB 542, click here.    

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Monique Limón represents the 21st Senate District, which includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, Goleta, Buellton, Carpinteria, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Paula, Port Hueneme, Blacklake, Callender, Grover Beach, Los Berros, Nipomo, Oceano, Woodlands. She currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, Chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, Vice Chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus and Vice Chair of the Central Coast Caucus, and Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector.