California Gov. Jerry Brown signed two bills Saturday to block new offshore oil drilling off the state by barring the construction of pipelines, piers, wharves or other infrastructure necessary to transport the oil and gas from federal waters to state land.
The bill signings lock into law the promises of Brown and other state officials who declared this year they would do whatever it takes to stop the Trump administration from opening California waters to drilling on an unprecedented scale.
"Today, California's message to the Trump administration is simple: Not here, not now," Brown said in a statement. "We will not let the federal government pillage public lands and destroy our treasured coast."
Under the bills Brown signed, the State Lands Commission, which has jurisdiction over tidelands and waters extending roughly three miles offshore, is prohibited from granting leases for new pipelines and infrastructure _ the most economical way to transport oil and gas to land. The commission also would be barred from renewing an existing lease if that action would result in increased oil or natural gas production from federal waters.
Oil and gas production from the state's tidelands peaked in the 1960s and has been more or less declining since. The state has not issued a new offshore oil and gas lease since the devastating 1969 spill in Santa Barbara turned public sentiment against offshore drilling. In 1994, the state Legislature passed the California Coastal Sanctuary Act, which prohibits new leasing in state waters.
Over the decades, governors across party lines, as well as the State Lands and California Coastal commissions have fought additional offshore drilling _ successfully challenging federal efforts in court when necessary.
