Our director argues that despite the Trump administration’s recent proposal to open federal waters off California’s 1,100-mile coastline to new oil and gas drilling, it’s highly unlikely that offshore oil rigs will actually be built there. California hasn’t seen new offshore oil lease sales in federal waters since 1984, and longstanding legal protections — including national marine sanctuaries where drilling is prohibited and state laws blocking new infrastructure in state waters — would make such drilling difficult or illegal even if new federal leases were authorized. Market factors such as relatively low oil prices further reduce the economic incentive for companies to pursue expensive offshore projects in California waters.

David notes that public opposition in California is strong, with roughly three-quarters of residents opposing new drilling and organized coalitions actively mobilizing against the proposal. The article also points out that legal challenges and existing environmental review requirements — such as those under the National Environmental Policy Act — could bog down or block implementation of any federal plan. Taken together, these legal, economic, and political headwinds mean that, even though the administration has included California in a proposed leasing map, Trump “won’t be able to drill off California’s coast” in any meaningful way.

Read the full article from David Helvarg at Golden State.