California Governor Signs New Bill into Law to Protect California Coastline
AB 1448 prohibits new state oil & gas leases and blocks the use of existing state infrastructure
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1448 by Assembly Member Hart into law to protect California’s coastline from federal offshore oil and gas drilling.
Following is a statement from Taryn Kiekow Heimer, Director of Ocean Energy with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
“AB 1448 establishes a critical barrier against new offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters, protecting California’s coast, communities and marine ecosystems by prohibiting new state leases and blocking the use of existing state infrastructure to support this destructive development. It also imposes stronger public oversight and rigorous safety requirements before existing leases or permits can be altered.
“These safeguards are imperative as the Trump administration is pushing to reopen our coast to dirty offshore drilling.”
Background:
The Trump administration is proposing to open federal waters off of California to new lease sales for the first time in more than 40 years, breathing new life into aging, corroded infrastructure and putting wildlife, coastal communities, and California’s economy directly in the path of another catastrophic oil spill.
California has already suffered the devastating consequences of offshore oil production. The 1969 Santa Barbara, 2015 Refugio Beach, and 2021 Huntington Beach spills unleashed millions of gallons of crude oil—shutting down fisheries, ravaging protected habitats, and imposing hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup costs and economic losses. These disasters make the choice unmistakable: dirty energy should be phased out not recklessly revived.
California’s coast is a national treasure and economic engine. Our coast supports public health, recreation, tourism, fishing, wildlife, cultural resources, and a coastal economy valued at roughly $51 billion—the second largest coastal economy in the nation which generated $662 billion in wages and $1.7 trillion in GDP. California’s coastal economy should be protected, not plundered.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll released last July found that 93% of Californians say healthy oceans and beaches are vital to the state’s economy and quality of life. Clean beaches and a thriving ocean are not luxuries—they are irreplaceable economic assets. Californians overwhelmingly demand a clean coast, a stable climate, and healthy communities.
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).