The Return of the Rigs: California’s Offshore Comeback Story?

Is California’s offshore oil industry staging a comeback? After years of dormancy, Sable Offshore Corp. has restarted Platform Harmony, with Platforms Heritage and Hondo slated to follow by year’s end. The U.S. Department of the Interior has praised this revival as a win for American energy independence and a boost to local supply.

This reactivation could not come at a more critical time. California families are still paying the highest gas prices in the nation, nearly $4.60 per gallon compared to $3.20 nationwide. Meanwhile, refinery closures have stripped nearly one-fifth of the state’s fuel-making capacity, forcing California to rely on costly imports from Saudi Arabia, Ecuador, and beyond. Every barrel produced offshore is a barrel not shipped across oceans at higher cost and emissions.

Yet Sacramento is pushing in the opposite direction. AB 1448, now moving through the Legislature, would prohibit the reactivation of offshore rigs, even existing platforms already built and ready to produce. Supporters claim it protects the coast, but the reality is clear: the bill would kill local jobs, strangle investment, and make California more dependent on foreign oil.

The contrast is stark. Sable is investing millions to modernize and safely operate these platforms, providing tax revenue, union jobs, and reliable energy for California families. AB 1448 would shut the door on that future.

“California should use its own resources rather than importing more oil from foreign regimes with lower environmental standards,” said Rock Zierman, CIPA CEO. “Rejecting AB 1448 means supporting local jobs, protecting consumers from higher costs, and reinforcing our state’s energy security.”

Labor leaders echoed the sentiment. “These platforms mean paychecks for skilled workers up and down the coast,” said a representative of the State Building and Construction Trades Council. “Shutting them down with AB 1448 doesn’t protect the environment, it just exports California jobs overseas while we import more oil.”

California stands at a crossroads. One path leans into imported energy, higher costs, and fewer choices. The other embraces responsible offshore production, putting our own resources to work for our people. Lawmakers should reject AB 1448 and allow Sable Offshore and others to deliver what California needs most: affordable, reliable, locally produced crude oil. #ProduceItHere