California Is Not Your Playground: Attorney General Bonta Condemns Trump Administration’s Plans to Approve Offshore Drilling Operations off California’s Coast

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s draft plan to open up waters offshore California for drilling:

“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. California takes our responsibility to steward our environment and natural resources seriously — we are not a rich man’s playground, and the President cannot come and extract resources as he pleases. California will not stand by while the Trump Administration marches in and make a mess of our coastal towns and waterways in order to line the pockets of its wealthy friends. The livelihoods of millions of Californians depend on the economies and industries supported by our coastal areas. My office stands fully opposed to this plan and is committed to protecting California’s natural resources.”

In June, Attorney General Bonta and a coalition of states sent a letter to the federal government opposing offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the letter, the states argued that there is no compelling need to risk marine and coastal resources for the limited supplies of fossil fuels off of our coasts. The United States already produces more oil and gas than any other country and exports more than it uses, and demand for gasoline has been dropping since 2019, especially on the East and West coasts.