The Trump administration has reopened a major Pacific offshore oil reserve that had been dormant for nearly a decade. “In just 5 months, under the direction of @POTUS, @Interior was able to reopen a major Pacific oil reserve capable of 80% of regional production,” announced Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
The Santa Ynez Unit, located off the California coast, holds an estimated 190 million barrels of recoverable oil. It had been shut down since 2015 after a pipeline rupture spilled thousands of barrels into the ocean. The site was acquired by Houston-based Sable Energy from ExxonMobil in 2024.
Burgum’s Interior Department pushed the project forward, completing the restart process in just five months. “The Trump administration is restoring energy independence and unleashing the full potential of American offshore resources like never before,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Deputy Director Kenneth Stevens of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) credited President Trump for setting a clear policy. “That’s what ‘energy dominance’ looks like: results, not delays,” he said. Stevens added that three oil platforms are expected to be operational by the end of the year.
California Democrats, including Sen. Adam Schiff and Rep. Salud Carbajal, opposed the move.
In a March letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, they warned that reopening the site could harm the environment and public health. They said the region is “still reeling from the fires in Los Angeles” and “fossil fuel-driven climate change is severely impacting California.”
Carbajal, who introduced a bill to permanently ban offshore drilling in California’s federal waters, called the decision “deeply concerning.” He cited the 1969 Santa Barbara and 2015 Refugio oil spills as reminders of the danger. “Our community has experienced the acute dangers that come with Big Oil’s reckless extraction practices,” he said.
“If energy independence were truly the goal, the current administration would be investing in cleaner—and often more affordable—energy sources like solar and wind,” he added.
Despite the opposition, federal officials say the reopening is a major win for U.S. energy production. A source familiar with the process said the Interior Department had to overcome extensive permitting challenges and environmental hurdles imposed by Sacramento.
“Under the leadership of Secretary Doug Burgum, the Department of the Interior has taken decisive action,” the spokesperson said. “We streamlined the permitting processes that had stalled development for years.”
The administration expects the Santa Ynez Unit to return to near-full production within months. Officials say this marks a major step toward energy self-sufficiency, achieved with American resources and under American control.