{"id":426223,"date":"2026-08-07T07:26:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/426223\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T07:26:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T07:26:24","slug":"california-files-formal-response-to-federal-coastal-review-and-urges-public-to-make-their-voices-heard-at-virtual-meetings-august-11th-and-12th-written-comments-by-august-22nd-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/426223\/","title":{"rendered":"California Files Formal Response to Federal Coastal Review and Urges Public to Make their Voices Heard at Virtual Meetings August 11th and 12th; Written Comments by August 22nd, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

PUBLIC COMMENT. From the California Natural Resources Agency on August 6th, 2026.
Make your voice heard:\u00a0submit a comment now via the federal register<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What you need to know:\u00a0California has submitted formal comments opposing the federal administration\u2019s review of the state\u2019s Coastal Management Program and is encouraging Californians to participate in upcoming federal meetings and submit comments by Aug. 22.<\/p>\n

SACRAMENTO \u2013 California\u00a0announced today<\/a>\u00a0it submitted\u00a0formal comments opposing the federal administration\u2019s unprecedented review of the state\u2019s Coastal Management Program,<\/a>\u00a0arguing the action is a politically motivated attempt to weaken California\u2019s role in protecting its coast while clearing the way for expanded offshore oil drilling, pipeline restarts and other industrial development.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump is threatening California\u2019s coast in pursuit of reckless offshore oil and gas extraction to pad the wallets of his corrupt oil cronies,\u201d\u00a0said Governor Gavin Newsom.\u00a0\u201cWe won\u2019t stand by while Trump sidelines the people who rely on and care for California\u2019s coast. Now is the time to make our voices heard. Give the Trump administration an earful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The filing<\/a>\u00a0responds to the federal government\u2019s\u00a0\u201cEvaluation of the California Coastal Management Program.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0While the title sounds technical, what\u2019s at stake is straightforward: whether California continues to have a say in federal decisions about the future of the state\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that the Trump administration is dead-set on expanding oil drilling off our coast and now they\u2019re working to steamroll any potential roadblocks and decades of precedent that could get in the way,\u201d\u00a0said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot.\u00a0\u201cThey are targeting California and working to remove states\u2019 rights to have a say in what happens to our coast. It\u2019s that simple. This represents the most alarming threat to our coast in decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s filing comes\u00a0ahead of three public meetings hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA<\/a>) and a public comment period that remains open through Aug. 22.<\/p>\n

How We Got Here<\/p>\n

For nearly 50 years, California has used its\u00a0Coastal Management Program<\/a>\u00a0to work alongside the federal government to help shape decisions affecting the state\u2019s coast. That partnership has helped protect public access, support coastal communities and businesses, safeguard wildlife and natural resources, and ensure local and tribal voices are considered when major federal projects are proposed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalifornia has proudly managed and protected its coastline for more than 50 years,\u201d\u00a0said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla.\u00a0\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t have to choose between protecting our environment and supporting our economy. We can and must do both.\u201d<\/p>\n

In May,\u00a0the U.S. Department of Commerce directed NOAA to conduct a new review of California\u2019s Coastal Management Program<\/a>, despite NOAA completing its regularly scheduled evaluation of the program in 2025. As part of the review, the federal government is seeking public input on offshore oil drilling, pipeline infrastructure, desalination, undersea cables, deep seabed mining, spaceport development and other projects that could shape the future of California\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n

Since the announcement of the review, the state has\u00a0been working to help Californians understand what\u2019s at stake<\/a>\u00a0for the coast, including the long-standing federal-state partnership that has helped support both coastal protections and a thriving economy.<\/p>\n

During an Aug. 5\u00a0Secretary Speaker Series webinar<\/a>,\u00a0Governor\u2019s Office of Business and Economic Development Director Dee Dee Myers\u00a0said that partnership has provided certainty for California\u2019s $51 billion coastal economy.\u00a0Watch the full discussion.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cStrong environmental protections create certainty, and certainty is good for business,\u201d Myers said. \u201cCompanies invest when they know the rules are stable, communities can plan for the long term, and the resources they depend on will be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hog Island Oyster Company\u00a0President and CEO John Finger\u00a0said healthy coastal ecosystems are fundamental to California businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoastal health is everything,\u201d Finger said. \u201cWe can\u2019t do what we do and grow oysters that are healthy and safe to eat without coastal protections in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

NOAA\u2019s regularly scheduled 2025 evaluation found California was effectively implementing its Coastal Management Program. The decision to reopen the review just over a year later is unprecedented and comes despite a long history of successful federal-state coordination.<\/p>\n

Records show that in the past 48 years, the California Coastal Commission has reviewed more than 3,700 federal actions and, in 96% of cases, either negotiated improvements or approved projects as submitted \u2014 demonstrating that the Coastal Management Program has consistently helped improve federal projects while allowing them to move forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn almost every case, we work successfully with federal agencies to make sure Californians\u2019 voice is heard through these projects,\u201d\u00a0said California Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge.\u00a0\u201cWe add important improvements that help fishing communities, coastal communities, and ensure California\u2019s priorities are considered.\u201d<\/p>\n

That successful track record is one reason coastal leaders say this new review is so unusual.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf reviews can be reopened without clear reasons or established process, every coastal state has reason to be concerned about the precedent that sets,\u201d said\u00a0Derek Brockbank, executive director of the\u00a0Coastal States Organization.<\/p>\n

Brockbank also noted that under the Coastal Zone Management Act, NOAA must respond to every written comment submitted during the review, making public participation an important part of the federal process.<\/p>\n

California encourages residents, Tribal governments, local officials, businesses, fishermen, scientists, conservation organizations and anyone who cares about the future of the state\u2019s coast to attend a meeting or\u00a0submit comments by Aug. 22<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery voice matters,\u201d said\u00a0Hermosa Beach City Councilmember and California Coastal Commissioner Ray Jackson. \u201cThis is another opportunity to get people informed about what\u2019s happening. The people who fought to protect our coast 50 years ago are counting on us now to carry that legacy forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you visit its beaches, make a living on the water, run a coastal business or simply care about California\u2019s coast, now is the time to help shape the decisions that will affect generations to come.<\/p>\n

NOAA\u00a0Public Meetings<\/p>\n

Aug. 10: In-person meeting in Santa Monica
Aug. 11: Virtual public meeting
Aug. 12: Virtual public meeting<\/p>\n

Written comments will be accepted through Aug. 22.<\/p>\n

Make your voice heard:\u00a0submit a comment now via the federal register<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PUBLIC COMMENT. From the California Natural Resources Agency on August 6th, 2026. Make your voice heard:\u00a0submit a comment…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":426224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-426223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426223","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=426223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/426224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}