The U.S. Department of the Interior is moving closer to launching offshore oil drilling along the coast of California. (Amaya Edwards — Santa Cruz Local/Catchlight Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> The federal government came one step closer to launching an offshore oil and gas drilling program along the coast of California, which could start as early as next year. The program could mean the first offshore oil lease near the Central Coast since 1963.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced Thursday it will begin preparing an environmental impact statement for proposed oil and gas lease sales. The move to open waters off the California coast to drilling is part of a five-year plan that maps potential offshore oil and gas leases through 2031, including near California, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, also called the Gulf of America.
A 30-day public feedback period is open through March.
“This Notice of Intent reflects the administration’s commitment to responsibly evaluating offshore leasing as part of a broader strategy to lower costs, strengthen energy security, and support American jobs,” said Matt Giacona in a statement, acting director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
Elected leaders, activists, environmental organizations and residents across Santa Cruz County have come out to fiercely oppose the offshore drilling initiative.
Lease sales in Central and Southern California could open next year with two lease sales expected in the Central California area in 2027.
“The U.S. Department of the Interior’s new Five-Year Offshore Drilling Plan would open California waters to the first new oil and gas leases in 40 years, putting communities, wildlife, and local economies at risk,” Katie Thompson, executive director of Save Our Shores, said in a Feb. 23 statement.
The last leases off the Pacific Coast were sold in 1984 near Southern California where offshore drilling is ongoing.
A map shows the areas planned for new oil and gas leases in the lower 48 states and the years the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to sell leases. (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)
Elected leaders who have spoken out against offshore drilling include Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), Santa Cruz County Supervisors Manu Koenig and Justin Cummings, and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Santa Cruz), among others.
“In the 1980s, communities up and down the California coast created a ‘blue wall’ against offshore oil drilling. We did this through local zoning ordinances that prohibit the creation of facilities on land to support offshore drilling,” Koenig said in a November statement. “Californians have fought (and won) battles for decades to protect our coastline. We won’t stop now.”
The government first announced its plans to launch an offshore drilling program in November, under its “Unleashing American Offshore Energy program,” terminating a prior five-year plan put in place by former President Joe Biden in 2024.
Under President Donald Trump’s new program, the scope includes as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales in areas covering approximately 1.27 billion acres, according to the bureau. That includes 21 areas off the coast of Alaska, seven in the Gulf of Mexico and six along the California coast.
The 30-day public comment period opens on Friday seeking feedback on “significant issues, reasonable alternatives, potential mitigation measures, and the types of oil and gas activities of interest in the proposed lease sale areas.” Instructions on how to submit comments are available at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, including more information on the program. Or, comment below and we will forward your feedback to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
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Alexandria Bordas is the Managing Editor at Santa Cruz Local. She is an award-winning investigative journalist and editor. She worked as a reporter on the San Francisco Chronicle’s Investigative Team from 2020-2023 to report on dozens of sexual assault allegations against a Sonoma County mayor and winery owner. Alexandria was named journalist of the year in 2022 by the Society of Professional Journalists. She is also a professor of journalism.
