Controversial California oil pipeline can continue to operate, judge rules

State sought to stop system off coast of Santa Barbara from resuming operations after Trump ordered its reopening

A controversial oil pipeline can continue to operate off the California coast after a judge gave it the greenlight this week, despite the opposition of state regulators and environmental groups.

The system off the coast of Santa Barbara resumed operations earlier this year for the first time in more than a decade after Donald Trump ordered Sable Offshore Corporation to reopen it, citing US energy needs during the war in Iran. It had been closed since 2015 when a burst pipe caused one of California's worst oil spills, and its reopening was supposed to be governed by a federal consent decree.