The U.S. Department of Energy has announced that the Trump administration has instructed oil and gas company Sable Offshore to resume oil drilling operations off the coast of Southern California. This move aims to restart oil production from a cluster of offshore platforms, as fuel prices continue to rise following the outbreak of war with Iran. President Trump signed an executive order on Friday authorizing the Secretary of Energy to take action under the Defense Production Act.

In a statement, the Department of Energy said that Secretary of Energy Chris Wright has notified Sable Offshore to restart operations at the Santa Ynez oil field and its pipeline system, "to address supply disruption risks resulting from California policies that leave the region and U.S. military forces dependent on foreign oil."

Sable Offshore did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Santa Ynez oil field and pipeline system have long been a source of controversy in California. The offshore platform was shut down in 2015 due to an oil spill, but the company has since resumed production at one of the platforms.

Last year, a state judge denied a request by the Houston, Texas-based company to lift a stop-work order on repairs to its onshore pipeline system.

In January of this year, the California Attorney General stated that the state is suing the Trump administration for asserting federal jurisdiction over two pipelines within the state and allowing Sable Offshore to resume transporting oil through the pipelines.

The Department of Energy noted that Sable Offshore's facilities have the capacity to produce approximately 50,000 barrels of oil per day.