The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced on Wednesday that it will start preparing a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) to assess possible offshore oil and gas lease sales along California's Outer Continental Shelf. This development has reignited discussions about drilling in areas that have been mostly protected for years.
A Notice of Intent will be published in the Federal Register on February 27, starting a 30-day public scoping period for the Northern, Central, and Southern California Planning Areas. This review marks the first official step toward looking at a potential lease sale under the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, with sales projected for 2027.
Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona described this action as part of a larger energy strategy.
“California households are facing an energy affordability crisis, and inaction is no longer an option,” Giacona stated. “This Notice of Intent shows the administration’s dedication to responsibly considering offshore leasing as part of a broader plan to reduce costs, enhance energy security, and support American jobs.”
BOEM indicated that the representative lease sale will involve all unleased blocks in federally managed areas that could hold economically viable oil and gas resources.
This announcement comes amid significant resistance from West Coast governors.
In January, California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, formally opposed the plans to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and BOEM.
“If offshore drilling is too dangerous for Mar-a-Lago, it’s too dangerous for working families on our coasts,” Newsom remarked, referencing dangers to fisheries, tourism, and coastal communities. “We’ll use every legal option to stop Donald Trump’s offshore drilling plan.”
California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot noted that opposition to new offshore leasing has crossed political lines for decades, recalling joint letters from West Coast governors opposing expanded offshore development in 2006, 2008, 2014, and 2017.
California’s coastal economy generates more than $44 billion every year, providing hundreds of thousands of jobs in tourism, commercial fishing, shipping, and recreation.
The state’s experience with offshore oil spills highlights the risks involved. The 2021 Amplify Spill at Huntington Beach spilled around 25,000 gallons of crude oil due to a pipeline breach caused by an anchored ship, leading to $210 million in civil and criminal penalties. The 2015 Refugio Spill on the Gaviota Coast resulted in a 100,000-gallon spill from a crude oil pipeline, killing many animals. The disastrous 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill released more than 4.2 million gallons from a platform blowout, which helped spark the modern environmental movement.
The review for California follows BOEM’s announcement in November regarding a wider offshore development agenda. Last week, the agency started its third offshore oil and gas lease sale under Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which plans for 30 Gulf lease sales and six sales in Alaska's Cook Inlet over the next decades.
BOEM stressed that the Notice of Intent does not allow for drilling or guarantee a lease sale. The PEIS process will collect public feedback and assess environmental impacts before any leasing decisions are made. The agency is also inviting qualified government entities to join the review as cooperating agencies.