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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum successfully restarted a major Pacific oil reserve within a short span of five months, despite opposition from Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and completion of various permitting and review processes.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) of the Interior Department recently announced the reopening of the Santa Ynez Unit in the Pacific oil-producing region, holding an estimated 190 million barrels of recoverable potential.
“The Trump administration is focused on reclaiming energy independence and unlocking the full potential of American offshore resources like never before,” a spokesperson from the Interior Department shared with Fox News Digital.
“Under the guidance of Secretary Doug Burgum, the Department of the Interior has taken decisive steps to cut through bureaucratic hurdles and streamline permitting processes that had previously hindered the development of Sable’s offshore energy resources.”
Santa Ynez had been closed off since 2015 due to an oil spill caused by a broken pipe, with an estimated 500 barrels of oil flowing into the ocean out of the 2,900 barrels released, as reported by NOAA.
Houston-based Sable Energy, the new owner of the site, purchased it from ExxonMobil in 2024 and sought permission to reopen multiple platforms, a request that has now been granted by the Trump administration.
Deputy Director Kenneth Stevens from BSEE emphasized President Trump’s vision of utilizing American resources for U.S. energy needs, highlighting the agency’s role in safely and efficiently bringing the oil reserve back online.
“This exemplifies what ‘energy dominance’ truly means: achieving tangible outcomes without unnecessary delays,” he stated, anticipating the activation of three oil platforms by the end of the year and highlighting the rapid progress from no energy production in the Pacific for a decade to almost full production within months.
Despite opposition from Schiff and Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., who have voiced concerns about the environmental impact of reopening Santa Ynez, the Interior Department successfully navigated through permitting, environmental approvals, and regulatory challenges from Sacramento.
Carbajal even introduced a bill in April to permanently ban offshore oil exploration in California on the Outer Continental Shelf, emphasizing the need to protect California’s coastline for future generations.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schiff and Carbajal for their comments on the matter.
