The drilling revival coming for Santa Barbara

Taylor Mills writes: A decade after an oil pipeline ruptured on the coveted Santa Barbara coastline, offshore drilling and production could soon re-start using the same aging infrastructure.

Two California state judges temporarily blocked Sable Offshore in recent weeks from re-opening the Santa Ynez offshore drilling operation that was home to the state’s worst oil spill in decades. But it remains to be seen if production at the platform previously owned by Exxon Mobil will be permanently halted by courts.

The restart could impact the environment, climate and energy supply. It used to be the largest greenhouse gas emitter in ...