Days before a federal comment window closes on potential new offshore oil leasing off California, the state’s congressional delegation has formally urged the Trump administration to abandon the proposal altogether.
On February 23, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal joined senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff and 31 other California lawmakers in sending a letter opposing the inclusion of the Southern and Central California Outer Continental Shelf planning areas in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) current leasing process.
The move follows BOEM’s January “Calls for Information and Nominations,” which opened roughly 36 million acres offshore Central California and 68 million acres offshore Southern California — including portions of the Santa Barbara Channel — for industry nomination and public comment. That comment period closes February 26. The call came just days after a separate 60-day review of the draft five-year offshore leasing program concluded.
“California’s coastal economy supports roughly 511,000 jobs and generates [more than] $51.3 billion in GDP from marine-economy activities — largely in tourism and recreation — meaning that new offshore drilling could jeopardize the livelihoods of thousands of working families,” the lawmakers wrote.
They also raised military-readiness concerns, warning that “introducing additional offshore drilling infrastructure and associated hazardous materials into this already congested and mission-critical maritime space would increase operational risk.”
In addition to opposing new drilling outright, the delegation requested a 90-day extension of the current comment period.
“For these reasons, we respectfully request a 90-day extension,” they wrote, arguing that residents, Tribal Nations, local governments, and coastal industries deserve additional time to respond. Those who wish to comment or want more information can visit boem.gov/regions/pacific-ocs-region/california-oil-and-gas-leasing-activities.
