Attorney General Bonta Rejects Trump Administration’s Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Plans

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today submitted a comment letter vigorously opposing the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program (DPP). The proposed program determines which offshore areas could be opened to lease sales for oil and gas activity during the 2026-2031 period and includes six lease sales in California’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning areas. In the comment letter, Attorney General Bonta asserts that the integrity of California’s coasts, economy, and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Californians would be put at risk by increased oil and gas development. 

“Time and again, President Trump has shown that his interest lies with his Big Oil friends profiting at the expense of our environment and public health,” said Attorney General Bonta. “This time, he’s attempting to expand lease sales for oil and gas drilling off California's coast. My office stands firmly opposed to this plan and will continue to push back against attacks on California’s natural resources and public health.”   

California’s longstanding policy has been to oppose oil and gas leasing off its cherished shores because it has too often suffered the negative impacts from oil and gas development. These consequences have been most pronounced after the 2015 Refugio oil spill in Santa Barbara County and after the 1969 blowout of Union Oil’s Platform A in the Santa Barbara Channel. The Union Oil spill, the third largest in American history, caused staggering harm to California’s economy and its environment. It resulted in an 11-day spill, with as much as 4.2 million gallons of crude oil covering over 800 square miles of ocean with tar-black pitch. Since then, California has banned any offshore leasing in state waters and has consistently opposed federal oil and gas leasing efforts off its shores. 

Since 1984, there has been no other leasing activity offshore California, but this program proposes six lease sales in the Pacific Region: three sales in the Southern California planning area, two in the Central California planning area, and one in the Northern California planning area. The California planning areas were included in the DPP despite California’s historical opposition to leasing in the California OCS. BOEM does not present a reasoned basis for this leasing option or for changing the federal government’s longstanding policy against lease sales in California’s OCS. In recognition of the state’s consistent and longstanding opposition to lease sales off its coast, Attorney General Bonta maintains that BOEM should exclude California from the 2026-2031 program. 

In the comment letter, Attorney General Bonta argues that: 

• BOEM’s determinations do not appear to be based on any objective scientific or economic analysis, but instead appear to be based purely on political considerations.
• BOEM fails to consider renewable OCS resources and the potential impact of oil and gas exploration on those resources.
• The environmental risks of OCS oil and gas development far outweigh any economic benefits. 
• The needs of regional and national energy markets do not support leasing of California’s OCS.
• The lack of industry interest in developing California’s OCS weighs heavily against scheduling lease sales. 
• California’s laws, goals, and policies are contrary to increased development from the OCS. 
• BOEM’s consideration of environmental factors and concerns does not accurately account for the sensitivity of California’s marine environment, oil spill impacts, or for potential regulatory changes. 
• BOEM’s analysis is lacking environmental review. 
• Fairly balancing the potential for environmental damage, the potential for the discovery of oil and gas, and the potential for adverse impact on the coastal zone would exclude California’s planning areas from leasing.  

Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting California’s natural resources and the livelihoods of those who rely on them. He previously condemned President Trump’s plan to open up waters offshore California for drilling, and he joined a coalition in opposing new lease sales for oil and gas activity off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Separately, Attorney General Bonta also filed a successful lawsuit against the Trump Administration over its unlawful attempt to freeze the development of wind energy.