Legislation aimed at strengthening California’s protections against new offshore oil drilling is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom after passing both houses of the state Legislature.
Assembly Bill 1448, authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart, passed the Assembly on Aug. 27, one day after clearing the Senate.
The bill, known as the California Coastal Protection Act, is intended to prevent existing infrastructure in state waters from being used to support expanded oil production from federal waters.
AB 1448 would allow the state to block projects that expand federal drilling using existing leases and infrastructure in state waters. It would also require the California State Lands Commission to consider additional factors when deciding whether to renew, modify, extend or transfer oil and gas infrastructure leases.
The measure would additionally close what supporters describe as the last remaining loophole allowing oil and gas leasing in state waters.
The legislation comes amid efforts by the Trump administration to expand offshore oil and gas development in federal waters off California. No new federal offshore leases have been issued off California since 1984.
Supporters of AB 1448 say the state needs additional safeguards if the federal government moves forward with new drilling because operators could seek to use existing pipelines and other infrastructure in state waters to serve projects farther offshore.
“As the federal government rushes to violate the more than 40 year old, bipartisan consensus against new offshore oil drilling, California needs to be prepared to respond,” Hart said. “AB 1448 puts clear safeguards in place to ensure that state infrastructure cannot be used to support new federal offshore oil development.”
Central Coast lawmakers are among the bill’s co-authors, including state Sen. John Laird and Assemblymember Dawn Addis. Other co-authors include Sens. Catherine Blakespear and Henry Stern and Assemblymember Damon Connolly.
Laird said the legislation could help protect both the environment and the Central Coast economy.
“This bill helps ensure California’s coast remains protected for future generations by preventing state infrastructure from being used to support the expansion of new federal offshore oil drilling,” he said. “From the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to our fishing, tourism, and recreation economies, protecting our coast means protecting the communities, jobs, and natural resources that define the Central Coast.”
Environmental groups backing the legislation point to previous California oil spills, including the 1969 Santa Barbara spill, the 2015 Plains All American pipeline spill near Refugio State Beach and the 2021 Amplify Energy spill off Southern California.
The bill’s supporters also say California’s coastline contributes more than $51 billion annually to the economy and supports more than 500,000 jobs.
Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon said aging offshore infrastructure poses additional risks if federal drilling expands.
“Decades of toxic spills—from Santa Barbara to Refugio Beach—have made the stakes painfully clear,” Gordon said, urging Newsom to sign the measure.
A July Public Policy Institute of California survey found 63% of Californians oppose allowing more oil drilling off the California coast, according to Oceana.
AB 1448 is co-sponsored by Oceana, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Environmental Defense Center.
Newsom has not yet acted on the bill.
