A county judge in Santa Barbara hasdecided that she has more powerthan the President of the United States to regulate American energy supplies in wartime.
Last month, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to allow Sable Offshore Corp. to resume operations,pumping 60,000 barrels per dayto expand domestic supply and reduce prices.
It is the same power that Joe Biden used in 2022 toorder the production of baby formula.
So what gives a lowly Santa Barbara Superior Court judge the power to override federal, and presidential, authority?
The net effect of Judge Donna Geck’s ruling is that Sable has to stop producing oil. Perhaps for months.
Which is absurd. No wonder companies are leaving California in a hurry.
The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution says that federal law trumps state law — pun intended — when the two collide.
Judge Beck has ruled that there is no clash between federal and state law here. She says Sable can still comply with Trump’s orders, while first seeking permission from the state.
The very idea of that is ridiculous, to anyone with actual experience of California bureaucracy.
The war is happening right now; California’s regulators might — might — approve Sable’s request in several years.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
