As we reported Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing the Energy Department to invoke the Defense Production Act, a 1950s Cold War-era law, to force the restart of a dormant offshore oil operation along the California coast.
Oil prices have been volatile as the Iran conflict continues, and the Islamic Republic threatens the crucial Strait of Hormuz, the Middle Eastern waterway through which over 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.
According to the Santa Barbara News-Press, that oil could start flowing immediately:
A federal order Friday directed Sable Offshore Corporation to restart its pipelines to transport oil from Santa Ynez to Bakersfield.
Sable told the Santa Barbara County Fire Chief on Friday, shortly after the order, that it will begin transporting oil within 24 hours.
“The Trump Administration remains committed to putting all Americans and their energy security first,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in a statement. “Unfortunately, some state leaders have not adhered to those same principles, with potentially disastrous consequences not just for their residents, but also our national security. Today’s order will strengthen America’s oil supply and restore a pipeline system vital to our national security and defense, ensuring that West Coast military installations have the reliable energy critical to military readiness.”
⛽️ Hey @GavinNewsom It sure would have been nice to have all that refinery capacity now, wouldn’t it?
But thanks to YOU and your insane “climate” obsession, even if we pump oil in California, we lack the capacity to refine it into fuel.@POTUS please stop him. pic.twitter.com/u5NtjHljfe
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) March 14, 2026
Gov. Gavin Newsom and the far-left, energy-hating legislature have already claimed they’ll be filing lawsuits, because evidently they prefer importing a huge percentage of California’s oil while the state’s residents consistently face the highest gas prices in the nation.
Of course, Newsom himself is once again out of state, this time visiting — ironically, Florida, where gas prices are about $1.65 lower than they are in the Golden State — while he continues to neglect California and pump his new book.
It’s at least his fifth trip out of state, and it’s only mid-March. In January, he jetted off to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he was mercilessly outplayed by Trump and looked like an attention-hungry fool.
MORE: Trump Invokes Cold War Emergency Law to Restart California’s Offshore Oil—Newsom Vows to Fight Back
Burgum Takes Newsom to the Cleaners on CA’s Gas Prices, Then the Oil and Gas Assoc. Finishes Him Off
Although it wouldn’t happen overnight, the increase in production could have a significant impact on the state’s oil supply:
An industry source with direct knowledge about the Santa Ynez offshore platforms and pipeline near Santa Barbara, which are controlled by Sable, said the president’s order will have a significant impact on California’s oil supply .
“It would add about 10% to the state’s crude oil production,” the source said. “That’s a meaningful number for production.”
The Santa Ynez facility has been shut down since 2015 after a significant spill caused damage to beaches and wildlife. Democrats are already raging about Trump’s plans:
Donald Trump is using the Iran war as an excuse to restart offshore oil drilling in California at the sites of previous devastating oil spills — something he’s been laying groundwork to do since his first day back in office.
Californians do not want more drilling off our coasts… pic.twitter.com/iKDPT8UKhw
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) March 14, 2026
Californians do not want more drilling off our coasts and will fight this at every turn.
Big Oil is the only one celebrating this renewed threat to our coastlines.
If Sen. Adam Schiff is against it, then I’m 100 percent for it.
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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