( July 9, 2026, 1:59 PM EDT) -- SAN FRANCISCO — Attorneys for the state of California and environmental groups asked a panel of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to vacate orders issued by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) that restarted the Las Flores Pipelines on grounds that the agency lacks jurisdiction, while an attorney for the pipeline company argued that PHMSA has jurisdiction under federal law and an attorney for the federal government said the agency has since issued a new special permit that supersedes the orders the state challenges, rendering the case moot....