ExxonMobil loses bid to truck millions of gallons of crude oil through central California

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — ExxonMobil has lost a court bid to truck millions of gallons of crude oil through central California — a crucial part of its efforts to restart offshore oil wells that were shut in 2015 after a pipeline leak caused the worst coastal spill in 25 years. A federal judge on Wednesday refused to overturn a 2022 decision by the Santa Barbara County Board Supervisors that denied ExxonMobil’s request to use trucks to carry crude from the three wells. ExxonMobil said trucking was the only option for getting offshore oil to processing plants because the pipeline was shut down following a 140,000-gallon oil spill. But the county expressed concerns over traffic and potential spills and accidents.