US federal review targets California coastal authority in oil push
Federal review of California's coastal program could strip state authority over offshore oil and federal projects.
The Trump administration has escalated its confrontation with California over fossil fuel production by launching a federal review of the state's coastal management program. The review, announced by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, targets the California Coastal Commission, a body that has shaped shoreline development for decades.
Lutnick criticised the commission's opposition to expanded SpaceX launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, calling such stances "obstructionist" and driven by "environmental extremism." The review will examine how California has handled federal priorities including spaceport infrastructure, offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, and desalination projects.
Environmental advocates worry the review could strip the commission of its authority to weigh in on federal projects affecting the coast. No state has ever lost such authority under the 1972 federal coastal management law, which applies to more than 30 states.
The administration has already announced new offshore oil lease plans for California and Florida, helped restart an idle pipeline that ruptured in 2015 causing a major spill, and moved toward authorising fracking on an old platform off Ventura County. The state's coastal commission unanimously opposed that fracking plan, with Commissioner Ray Jackson saying the risks to ocean, beaches, and wildlife outweigh any benefit.
California has barred new offshore oil leases since a catastrophic 1969 spill in the Santa Barbara Channel. The state now derives nearly half its electricity from renewables and has sued the federal government over the buyback of an offshore wind lease.
Stanford law professor Deborah Sivas described the federal actions as part of a broader push to favour fossil fuels over renewables. Many residents at a public hearing in Santa Monica in August opposed the review, with some linking it to the pipeline restart decision.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting the review, with no completion date announced. The commission has clashed with officials from both parties over the years, including over a flagpole at a Trump golf club and post-wildfire rebuilding rules.