Trump Forces California to Supply Oil, Because Why Not Break All The Rules?
KEY POINTS
- ā¢President Trump signed an executive order on Friday to use the Defense Production Act to boost oil production off Southern California's coast amid the Iran war-induced price shocks.
- ā¢The order targets speeding permits for Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp., which acquired Santa Ynez offshore platforms and pipelines from ExxonMobil in February 2024 despite state and local resistance.
- ā¢California officials and environmental groups oppose the pipeline restart due to ongoing legal challenges, a 2015 oil spill of 100,000 gallons, and concerns the effort will barely move the needle on prices.
On a Friday boldly nicknamed Bring-Back-Dinosaur-Soot Day, President Trump dusted off the 1950s playbook called the Defense Production Act to order Southern California's oil back online, literally flipping the bird at Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called it a 'political stunt' that adds a whopping 0.05% to U.S. crude output. Houstonās Sable Offshore Corp. took over the Santa Ynez oil platforms and pipelines from ExxonMobil this February and promises a 45kā55k barrel daily comebackāequal to roughly 0.00000275 of what the Iran war closed off in the Strait of Hormuz. Oh, and did we mention Sableās facing criminal prosecution, a securities probe, multiple injunctions, and environmental groups still scared from the 2015 pipeline horror spill of 100,000 gallons? Sure sounds like a Christmas party for compliance officers.
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(1 of 3)Trump invoking a 70-year-old law to reopen offshore pumps 45,000 barrels a day while ignoring oil spills, lawsuits, and Californians yelling 'no thanks' feels like your dad trying to fix WiFi with a hammer.
Trump declaring war on oil prices by reopening illegally contested pipelines is peak energy politics: all noise, zero impact, and way too many lawyers.
Nothing says 'solving global crises' like squeezing 0.05% more oil from platforms already tangled in lawsuits and environmental nightmares.
Source: Axios | Published: 3/13/2026 | Author: Chuck McCutcheon
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