Feds Meddling With Protections For California Coast

In the latest salvo in a relentless campaign to strip California’s authority over its natural resources and environment, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting an unusual performance review of the state’s Coastal Management Program, which regulates development along the coast. Coastal advocates see the move as an effort to advance new offshore oil drilling and build spaceport infrastructure, desalination plants, pipelines, and undersea cables, and are urging the public to weigh in.

The federal Coastal Zone Management Act, passed in 1972, allows states to review and manage activities of the federal government affecting their coastal areas to ensure these activities comply with their own state regulations. The law is one of California’s best tools for ensuring that coastal development projects meet state environmental protection, coastal access, and safety standards.

The CZMA requires “regular performance reviews” of the the state’s management program. The last review was in 2024, but U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick called for a new review in May of this year, arguing that the state program is not in compliance with the CZMA because it is not giving “proper weight to economic development and national priorities.”

For President Trump, one such priority has long been oil drilling off California’s coast. In January 2018, the first Trump administration unveiled a draft five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing that would have opened up the entire California coast to new drilling for the first time since 1984. That plan died when the Biden administration placed a moratorium on new oil and gas leasing in federal waters, but on his first day back in office, Trump reversed that order, and in November 2025, the current administration announced a new plan for offshore oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida.

”California’s coast belongs to all Californians — full stop,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot in a statement. “For decades, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have respected the partnership between states and the federal government that has protected our coast while supporting a thriving economy. Yet the Trump administration is singling out California and threatening unprecedented action in pursuit of dangerous new offshore oil drilling.”

The current review could have significant implications for California. If NOAA finds the state out of compliance, both California’s coastal permitting authority and millions of dollars in annual federal funding to the Coastal Commission, SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission, and State Coastal Conservancy — the agencies that administer the CCMP — are at risk.

Coastal advocates are urging members of the public to voice their support for coastal protection at a series of upcoming meetings.

Public Comment

NOAA will hold three public meetings to allow the public to provide input on its review: two virtual meetings (August 11 and 12) and one in-person meeting in Santa Monica (August 10). The public can register to attend and speak at these meetings, with attendance capped at 1,000 people per meeting. Written comments can be submitted by emailing czma.california-evaluation@noaa.gov with the subject line: “Comments on Performance Evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program.” The deadline for written comments is August 22 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.