{"id":376805,"date":"2026-06-27T03:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/376805\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T03:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T03:46:15","slug":"trump-launches-crackdown-on-california-coastal-regulators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/376805\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump launches crackdown on California coastal regulators"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trump administration is taking aim at what it calls California\u2019s environmental \u201cextremism,\u201d launching a new review of the state\u2019s powerful coastal regulators as a high-stakes fight over offshore oil drilling<\/a> heats up.<\/p>\n

In a public notice filed Friday<\/a>, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ordered a review of the California Coastal Commission, the California Coastal Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.<\/p>\n

The move puts California\u2019s influential coastline watchdogs under fresh federal scrutiny. According to the notice, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is responsible for \u201capproving and overseeing state coastal management programs, including that of the California Coastal Commission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s administration blasted the \u201cextremism\u201d of environmentalists in California. AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson<\/p>\n

\u201cObstructionist policies that delay critical national infrastructure in the name of environmental extremism are unacceptable,\u201d Lutnick said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNOAA will conduct its reviews consistent with the plain text of the [Coastal Zone Management Act] CZMA, ensuring states give proper weight to economic development and the nation\u2019s priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The review will examine whether California\u2019s coastal regulators \u201chave addressed\u2014or failed to address\u2014compatible economic development,\u201d including \u201coffshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects, undersea cables, and other key priorities of national importance,\u201d according to the announcement.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Trump administration launched a new review of the powerful coastline watchdogs amid a battle over offshore drilling in the state. Andy Johnstone for CA Post<\/p>\n

Environmentalists in the state slammed the review and are freaking out about it.<\/p>\n

It is \u201ca clear attempt by the Trump administration to target one of California\u2019s most effective tools for protecting its iconic coastline,\u201d the nonprofit, Defenders of Wildlife<\/a>, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis unnecessary review sends a clear message to California and other coastal states: challenge the administration\u2019s priorities, and your coastal management program may become the next target,\u201d Stephanie Altman-with the group-added.<\/p>\n

Mark Lubell, an environmental science and policy professor at UC Davis, called it a \u201cblatantly political move.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Environmentalists<\/p>\n

Environmentalists in the state slammed the review. AP Photo\/Jon Cherry<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be political smoke and mirrors in the long run, but it\u2019s going to take effort to kind of push back on it,\u201d Lubell told KQED<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The review comes after the California Second District Court of Appeal this week dealt a blow to efforts to bring more domestic oil production back online<\/a>, siding with state regulators in the high-stakes fight over a key pipeline network that connects offshore platforms in Santa Barbara County to refineries outside the region.<\/p>\n

The court upheld an injunction obtained by the California Coastal Commission against Sable Offshore Corp., ruling the agency acted within its authority<\/a> when it issued cease-and-desist orders targeting pipeline work along the Gaviota Coast in 2024 and again in 2025.<\/p>\n

\"Coastal<\/p>\n

Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge. California Coastal Commission<\/p>\n

In March, Trump initiated the Defense Production Act<\/a> to allow for the restarting of pumping off the Santa Barbara coastline.<\/p>\n

The Houston-based company announced it would restart production at its offshore platform<\/a>, sending oil through the region\u2019s controversial Santa Ynez pipeline for the first time since 2015.<\/p>\n

California filed a lawsuit challenging the order, arguing it \u201cillegally asserts exclusive jurisdiction over two California onshore oil pipelines\u201d and prioritizes \u201cdonors over our people and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judge Donna Geck of the Santa Barbara Superior Court<\/a> upheld an injunction in April against the oil giant, blocking it from restarting pumping at its Santa Ynez offshore pipeline while handing a win to Gov. Gavin Newsom.<\/p>\n

Sable attorney Jeffrey Dintzer<\/a> recently told The California Post, \u201cWith respect to the production of oil from the federally leased offshore platforms, that will continue, as will the flow of oil through the pipeline to Kern County and ultimately to El Segundo, where it is being purchased by Chevron.\u201d<\/p>\n

The public notice about the review stated that NOAA will hold \u201cboth an in-person meeting and two virtual public meetings to solicit input for a performance evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program.\u201d<\/p>\n

It comes amid heightened focus on energy supplies as war with Iran and California\u2019s anti-oil policies<\/a> have helped gas prices skyrocket, putting a spotlight on efforts to expand US production rather than restrict it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Trump administration is taking aim at what it calls California\u2019s environmental \u201cextremism,\u201d launching a new review of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,1802,75452,9,8,152559,536,82424,10609,10645,5938,6151],"class_list":["post-376805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-coastal-commission","tag-california-coastal-conservancy","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-coastal-management-program","tag-donald-trump","tag-howard-lutnick","tag-national-oceanic-and-atmospheric-administration","tag-noaa","tag-offshore-oil-drilling","tag-the-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}