People’s hearing in Monterey to oppose federal offshore drilling plan.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about opening California’s coastline to new offshore oil and gas drilling. Katie Rodriguez here, hoping to distill that information and flag a public comment period where you can share your thoughts about such proposals with the federal government.

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Department of the Interior released a draft proposal for the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The proposal would open up 1.27 billion acres along the coast of Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Coast to new offshore oil and gas leasing.

The proposal targets six areas along the California coast: two potential lease sales are listed for Central California, three are for Southern California and one is for Northern California. The two Central Coast lease sales could begin as early as 2027.

Overall, the draft program includes 34 potential offshore lease sales, most of which are in Alaska, beginning in 2026.

It has been decades since an oil and gas lease was offered in California—it was in 1984, in Southern California. Ten years later, the California State Lands Commission made the entirety of California’s coast off-limits to oil and gas.

In November, the Secretary of the Interior issued an order titled “Unleashing American Offshore Energy,” which directs the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to terminate the Biden administration’s 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program and replace it with a more expansive leasing program as soon as possible.

Many opponents point to the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, a disaster that helped spark Earth Day and a reminder of what’s at stake. It is what led to local cities and counties teaming up to require a vote of the people for zoning changes related to onshore support facilities. 

Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, summed it up well in her press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in Sacramento, convening with other politicians and advocates to urge U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to remove California from the Trump administration’s proposal to expand offshore oil drilling:

“For the first time in 40 years, we have a president who is pushing to expand, not contract, but expand oil drilling off our shores, and it's a threat to the industries that sustain us while providing minimal economic benefit for the people, as well as disastrous consequences for public health and vulnerable marine habitats,” Addis said.

An official public comment period is open until Jan. 23, with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. This is the first public comment period for the draft leasing program.

Attend an upcoming people’s hearing, where various local officials are scheduled to speak, this Friday, Jan. 9, at 6pm at Portola Hotel, 2 Portola Plaza, Monterey (Bonsai Ballroom). Registration here is encouraged due to room capacity limitations.

Make your voice heard.