SAN FRANCISCO (KEYT) – Environmental groups filed an emergency lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the federal government's approval this week of restarting oil production in Santa Barbara County.

According to the suit filed in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the petitioners allege that the Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration, "bypassed the required public notice, opportunity for public participation, statement of reasons for its decisions, and other conditions generally required for pipeline safety regulation waivers under the federal Pipeline Safety Act".

The non-profit environmental groups who filed the lawsuit requested the court halt the emergency special permit issued by the federal government to the current owner of the pipelines.

The pipelines in question, Lines CA-324 and CA-325, would be used to transport crude oil from the Las Flores Canyon facility east to Kern County.

Line CA-324, formerly known as Line 901, has remained dormant since it ruptured and caused the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill which impacted 150 miles of California coastline and destroyed thousands of acres of shoreline habitats noted the petitioners.

ExxonMobil dropped its lawsuit against Santa Barbara County's denial of the energy giant's request to use trucks to transport crude oil on local roadways instead of the dormant pipelines in February of 2024 after it sold the oil production infrastructure to Houston-based Sable Offshore.

Since the sale, Sable has sought to restart oil extraction from 114 wells on three offshore platforms, transportation through associated pipelines (including CA-324 and CA-325), and a facility at Las Flores Canyon that are collectively called the Santa Ynez Unit.

The image below from an slide presented to investors by Sable Offshore, courtesy of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, shows Line CA-324 as Line 901 and Line CA-325 as Line 903.

Court documents revealed that Sable secured a $622,000,000 loan from Exxon to fund the purchase of the Santa Ynez Unit which is set to expire and ownership revert back to the oil giant unless oil from the Santa Ynez Unit enters the market.

In September, Sable Offshore submitted official paperwork to restart oil production with the California Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and the state-based safety agency responded the next month that there were still

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Por Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN

El rey Carlos III del Reino Unido utilizó su mensaje navideño para reflexionar sobre la vida como un viaje compartido y llamó a las personas a adoptar valores como el coraje, la reconciliación y la unidad en un mundo dividido e incierto.

El monarca británico afirmó que “peregrinación es una palabra menos utilizada actualmente, pero tiene un significado particular para nuestro mundo moderno”.

“Se trata de avanzar hacia el futuro y también de mirar al pasado para recordar y aprender de sus lecciones”, agregó.

Carlos recordó el “coraje y sacrificio” de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y elogió “la forma en que las comunidades se unieron”, en su discurso tradicional que coincidió con el 80º aniversario del final del conflicto a principios de este año.

“Estos son los valores que han dado forma a nuestro país y a la Mancomunidad Británica de Naciones”, continuó el rey. “Mientras escuchamos sobre divisiones, tanto en casa como en el extranjero, son valores que nunca debemos perder de vista”.

Mientras el rey hablaba sobre “historias del triunfo del coraje sobre la adversidad” que le dan esperanza, se mostraron imágenes del viaje sorpresa de la princesa Ana a Ucrania en septiembre. Realizó la visita oficial a petición del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores del Reino Unido para resaltar “las experiencias traumáticas de los niños que viven en la primera línea del conflicto”, según informó el Palacio de Buckingham.

Carlos también elogió la “valentía espontánea” de quienes instintivamente han puesto “su vida en peligro para defender a otros”, tras el ataque a la sinagoga de Manchester y el tiroteo en Bondi Beach.

Mientras hablaba, se mostró un video de Carlos reuniéndose con sobrevivientes y equipos de emergencia en Manchester, antes de que la transmisión mostrara a personas depositando flores en un monumento dedicado a las víctimas y sobrevivientes de Bondi en Australia.

La tradición del mensaje navideño del monarca se remonta a 1932 y fue pronunciado por primera vez por Jorge V. Desde entonces, se ha convertido en una parte esencial de las festividades para muchos británicos que se reúnen a verlo y escucharlo a las 3 p.m. del día de Navidad.

Escrito por el propio Carlos, es una de las pocas ocasiones en las que no busca asesoramiento del Gobierno al redactarlo y suele apoyarse en enseñanzas religiosas, al tiempo que reflexiona sobre temas y preocupaciones actuales.

El cuarto mensaje navideño del rey en su reinado llega tras un año de turbulencia social y política en el Reino Unido, en el que la unidad nacional parece haberse fracturado en un escenario político cada vez más polarizado, en medio de crecientes desafíos financieros por la crisis del costo de vida, y mientras temas defendidos por la extrema derecha continúan ganando impulso entre sectores más amplios de la población.

Carlos reflexionó sobre la historia navideña de María y José viajando a Belén y el viaje de los Reyes Magos para adorar en la cuna de Jesús, y cómo, en cada caso, “dependieron de la compañía y la bondad de otros” y canalizaron “una fortaleza interior” para afrontar obstáculos físicos y mentales.

“En tiempos de incertidumbre, estas formas de vida son apreciadas por todas las grandes religiones y nos brindan fuentes profundas de esperanza, resiliencia ante la adversidad, paz a través del perdón, simplemente conociendo a nuestros vecinos y mostrando respeto mutuo, creando nuevas amistades”.

“Con la gran diversidad de nuestras comunidades, podemos encontrar la fuerza para asegurar que el bien t

By Mitchell McCluskey, Svitlana Vlasova, and Darya Tarasova

(CNN) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a “very good” conversation with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Christmas Day as negotiations over the terms of a potential peace deal continued.

“I thank them for the constructive approach, the intensive work, and the kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people,” Zelensky said in a statement.

The two sides discussed “certain substantive details” about the ongoing peace negotiations and the conversation produced “some new ideas on how to bring about real peace,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian leader was joined on the call by other diplomats, including Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.

Umerov will have additional discussions with Kushner and Witkoff later on Thursday, Zelensky said.

“We believe this is the right approach – not to lose a single day or a single opportunity that can bring the result closer. May today’s conversation become another step toward peace,” he said.

At a press conference in Moscow earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted that there is “slow but steady” progress being made in the negotiation process between Russia and the US.

She went on to accuse the European Union of remaining committed to “escalating the conflict and prolonging hostilities.”

In his Christmas Day speech, Pope Leo also appealed for peace in Ukraine.

“May the clamour of weapons cease and may the parties involved with the support and commitment of the international community find the courage to engage in sincere, direct, and respectful dialogue,” the religious leader said.

The Trump administration’s peace effort has made gradual progress in recent weeks.

Over the weekend, a Ukrainian delegation led by Umerov and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev met separately with their American counterparts in talks that Witkoff described as “constructive and productive.”

On Tuesday, Zelensky presented new details about a 20-point plan that he described as “a foundational document on ending the war, a political document between us, America, Europe, and the Russians.”

The Ukrainian president also discussed specifics of security guarantees between Ukraine, the United States, and European countries that would form a crucial part of any peace deal with Russia.

The plan would involve Ukraine pulling back its troops from areas of the Donetsk region, Zelensky said.

Russia would subsequently need to withdraw its forces in a manner equivalent to the ground ceded by Ukrainian troops, effectively establishing a demilitarized zone around some of the present front lines.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia is “currently analyzing the materials” of the proposal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine must effectively cede all of Donetsk for a peace plan to work.

“We would prefer to do this, and eliminate the root causes of the conflict, through diplomacy,” Putin Read more