Action Alert: Oppose Oil Drilling Off the Coast of California

The federal government has just taken a step that could open the door to new offshore oil drilling off California’s coast. On February 26, 2026, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it will prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for proposed offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California planning areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. 

This review is the first step toward offering new federal offshore oil and gas leases beginning as early as 2027 under the federal government’s 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. If finalized, these lease sales could allow oil companies to drill across vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean—putting marine wildlife, coastal communities, and our climate at risk.

The federal government is considering offshore oil and gas leasing in all three California planning areas—potentially covering tens of millions of acres of ocean. This includes the North Coast of California, which is known to have natural gas resources. According to BOEM, the areas under consideration include thousands of offshore lease blocks in federally managed waters that may contain oil and gas reserves. The agency has opened a 30-day public comment period to determine what issues should be analyzed in the environmental review.

Opening the Pacific coast to new offshore drilling would have enormous consequences. Offshore drilling exposes whales, dolphins, fish, seabirds, and fragile marine habitats to risks from oil spills and seismic exploration. Furthermore, our coastal tourism and fishing industries depend on clean oceans. We’ve seen too many disasters – like the Santa Barbara Oil Spill, Exxon Valdez, and Deepwater Horizon oil spill – to accept that risk off the North Coast. Finally, expanding offshore oil production locks in decades of fossil fuel extraction when the United States should be rapidly transitioning to renewable energy.

This environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider public input before moving forward with major projects. BOEM is currently asking the public to submit comments on:

• environmental impacts

• alternatives to leasing

• mitigation measures

• whether the leasing program should proceed at all

Complete the following action alert and tell federal officials that California’s coast is not for sale to oil companies. Submit a public comment urging the government to reject new offshore drilling and focus instead on renewable energy solutions.

The comment deadline is March 30, 2026.

Submit comments through the federal docket: BOEM-2025-0681https://www.regulations.gov/document/BOEM-2025-0681-0001

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Form Comment Letter to BOEM: Feel free to personalize!

Subject: Comment Opposing Proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing in California Planning Areas

Docket: BOEM-2025-0681

Dear Director,

I am writing to submit comments regarding the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s notice of intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for proposed oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California Planning Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.

I strongly oppose any new offshore oil and gas leasing in federal waters off the coast of California.

California’s coastline supports extraordinary marine biodiversity, vibrant fisheries, and world-renowned coastal tourism. Expanding offshore oil development threatens these resources and exposes coastal communities to the risk of catastrophic oil spills. Past disasters, including the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and more recent pipeline failures, demonstrate the devastating consequences of offshore drilling.

New offshore oil leasing is also inconsistent with the urgent need to address the climate crisis. Expanding fossil fuel extraction in federal waters would lock in decades of additional greenhouse gas emissions at a time when the United States must rapidly transition to clean energy.

The Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement should therefore fully evaluate a No Action Alternative that eliminates new offshore oil and gas lease sales in California planning areas. Given the significant environmental, economic, and climate risks, BOEM should select this alternative.

In addition, the environmental review should comprehensively evaluate:

• The cumulative climate impacts of additional offshore fossil fuel development

• Risks to marine mammals, fisheries, and seabirds

• Impacts to coastal tourism and fishing economies

• Environmental justice impacts on coastal communities and Tribes

• The availability of cleaner energy alternatives.

Ultimately, the safest and most responsible course of action is to permanently protect California’s offshore waters from new oil and gas leasing and focus federal ocean energy policy on renewable energy development.

Thank you for considering my comments.

Sincerely,

[Name]