LOS ANGELES (LN) — The Justice Department on Friday called a federal court's dismissal of an environmental lawsuit challenging Sable Offshore Corp.'s oil and gas operations in the Santa Barbara Channel a "clear-eyed interpretation of federal law" that aligns with the Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision.

The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California dismissed the complaint in Center for Biological Diversity v. Burgum, rejecting the plaintiffs' attempt to compel the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to require Sable to revise its development and production plan for the Santa Ynez Unit.

In April 2025, BOEM concluded that Sable was not required to revise its plan under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The plaintiffs sued, seeking a court order forcing the Bureau to mandate a revision.

The court dismissed the lawsuit, finding the plaintiffs' asserted procedural injury had no basis, was not traceable to any BOEM action, and could not be redressed by a court order. The court noted the plaintiffs invoked a statutory provision governing the "approval of a development and production plan," not the revision of an already-existing plan.

"This decision is a clear-eyed interpretation of federal law in keeping with the Supreme Court's instruction in Loper Bright to follow the best interpretation of statutes," said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).

Gustafson added that the government's defense of BOEM's decision supports domestic energy production in furtherance of President Donald J. Trump's directive to "unleash American energy."

Sable Offshore was required to immediately resume petroleum transportation through the Santa Ynez Pipeline System pursuant to a Defense Production Act order issued by Energy Secretary Chris Wright on March 13.

Since resuming operations, the Unit has been transporting about 30,000 barrels of oil per day to California and is expected to reach 60,000 barrels per day.

Attorneys with ENRD's Natural Resources Section handled the matter.