The Trump administration is pursuing a dangerous new offshore drilling plan that will open vast stretches of U.S. coastline, including California’s coast, for new offshore oil and gas drilling. The federal government is accepting public comments on this plan until Friday, January 23, 2026. Please tell the government not to allow new offshore drilling.
Offshore drilling is a dirty and dangerous practice that harms the environment, communities, and businesses, while worsening climate change. Past oil spills on the California coast have devastated ocean and coastal wildlife, as well as the tourism, commercial fishing, and other economic activity that depends on our coastline.
To send a comment to the federal government, use this online form. Be sure to click the “Submit Comment” button after you fill out the form.
Not sure what to say? Here’s a comment you can copy and paste. Please feel free to customize this with your own personal storytelling and thoughts on the harm that new offshore oil drilling would have.
As a California resident, I strongly oppose the Draft Proposed Program (DPP) for the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program. This proposal, coupled with ongoing efforts to reduce federal staffing and funding for agencies that protect our environment, including for safety and oil spill response, is not only dangerous but outright reckless. As we have repeatedly seen in California and other parts of the country, offshore drilling is a ticking time bomb. Any expansion of offshore drilling in the waters off the coast of California and the spills that would inevitably accompany it would be devastating to my community. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), California’s marine economy alone accounted for $51.3 billion in GDP and $26.7 billion in wages in 2021. The economic well-being of these sectors is dependent upon a healthy and clean coastline. Further industrialization off our coast will inevitably pollute our beaches, spelling disaster for California’s economy and also harming the rest of the country, which relies on California as an economic engine. California is all too familiar with the devastating impacts of oil spills. The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill remains the largest in our state’s history—and one of the landmark spills in U.S. history. Immediate damage to birds, intertidal organisms, beaches, and economy was severe. That experience galvanized Californians and secured an unshakable commitment to protecting our coastline. The more recent 2015 Refugio oil spill and 2021 Huntington Beach oil spill, reinforced our strong opposition to any offshore drilling expansion. For just one example, the San Mateo County coast near where I live is home to an immense variety of precious flora and fauna, including 36 species of marine mammals, 180 species of seabirds and shorebirds, 525 species of fishes and an abundance of invertebrates and algae. Thousands of County residents rely on clean ocean waters and pristine beaches for their livelihoods, including employment in the fishing, tourism and recreation sectors. Millions of others enjoy and benefit from the beauty of clean waters and shorelines, whether they are on the beaches, on the ocean or driving down scenic Highway 1. All of these would be harmed by every stage of the offshore oil drilling process and immeasurably damaged by an inevitable oil spill. Please protect all U.S. waters from any oil and gas leasing in the next 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Program.