Quick Take
Santa Cruz County made its opposition to offshore drilling official, with a letter to the Interior Department and pleas to the public to get involved to stop the Trump administration's move to drill off the coast of California.
Santa Cruz County has taken a formal stand against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s proposal to open new offshore oil and gas leases off the California coast. The county submitted detailed comments to federal agencies and urged more robust community engagement moving forward.
The county sent a letter to the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) last week, strongly objecting to any new leasing off the coast of California. It also requests that the public comment period, set to close Jan. 23, be extended.
Santa Cruz County’s actions are part of broader efforts statewide to stop the first significant expansion of offshore drilling near California in four decades, a move initiated by the Trump administration. The Department of the Interior is proposing to sell as many as 34 mineral mining and drilling leases in federal waters over the next five years. Santa Cruz has joined 10 other coastal California counties and the City of Santa Cruz in the Save My Coast Coalition.
The coalition coordinates political and legal strategies to limit offshore drilling and the onshore facilities that support it. Efforts include reviving and strengthening the “Blue Wall,” a network of zoning protections that helped block offshore drilling infrastructure in the 1980s.
The federal proposal has reignited political and legal disputes, underscoring the persistent tension between national energy priorities and local environmental protections. Environmental groups caution that increased drilling could heighten the likelihood of spills, damage biodiversity and conflict with California’s climate goals, while offering minimal local economic gain. County officials cited risks to fisheries, tourism and fragile marine habitats, including those within national marine sanctuaries.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings stressed that broad civic engagement is essential in shaping federal policy and strengthening long-term protections for California’s coastline.
“Opening the door to new offshore drilling places our fisheries, tourism industry and coastal communities at unnecessary risk,” Cummings said.
He encouraged residents, businesses, nonprofits, tribes and public agencies to submit comments by the Jan. 23 deadline, either through the federal rulemaking portal or via SaveMyCoast.org.
Cummings will appear alongside California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot at a public webinar titled “Not on Our Watch: Stopping More Oil Drilling on California’s Coast” on Thursday from noon to 1 p.m.
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