President Trump is trying to force California to restart a pipeline that caused one of the state’s worst environmental disasters, and honestly, it’s giving major “distract from my problems” energy. The Sable Offshore pipeline has been shut down since 2015 when it spilled 142,000 gallons of crude oil near Santa Barbara, killing thousands of birds and marine mammals. Now Trump is invoking emergency powers to restart it, claiming it’ll help with the skyrocketing gas prices his own military actions in Iran created.

Here’s the thing: it won’t work. According to Bloomberg, oil from the Sable pipeline would represent just 0.05% of total global oil production. That’s basically a drop in the bucket. Meanwhile, Trump admitted he knew his war would spike gas prices, and Americans are now paying over $1.5 billion extra at the pump every week. The real issue? Trump’s military strikes have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, trapping about 20% of the global oil supply in the Persian Gulf. No amount of California drilling changes that.

Governor Newsom isn’t backing down. He’s calling out Trump’s move as illegal and vowing to fight it in court. California has multiple legal protections in place, including a 2020 federal court order requiring California safety approval before the pipeline can restart, plus new safety requirements passed under SB 237 with bipartisan support. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney has even brought criminal charges against Sable for violations of California water-protection laws.

The 2015 spill was catastrophic for California’s coastal communities. Twenty-one thousand gallons flowed into the Pacific, forcing the closure of 138 square miles of fisheries for weeks. Fishing families lost their livelihoods, tourism took a massive hit, and cleanup costs hit hundreds of millions of dollars. There was a $23.3 million settlement, plus $60 million more in damages and penalties that Sable had to pay. These aren’t hypothetical risks, they’re California’s lived experience.

What makes this even wilder is that Trump is using emergency powers meant for national defense to override state environmental laws. As Assemblymember Gregg Hart pointed out, if the President can wage war without congressional authorization and override state law through executive orders, what’s left of the Constitution?

California’s already got a better plan. SB 237 increases onshore crude oil production in Kern County, boosting domestic crude availability while maintaining environmental safeguards. The state added over one million acres of conserved land and coastal waters last year alone through the 30×30 initiative.

California’s $51 billion coastal economy depends on clean waters and thriving ecosystems. That’s not a bargaining chip for Trump’s political cover.