The Trump administration's plan to sharply expand offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S.-controlled waters in 47 leased sites off the West and East Coasts _ including six off California _ may yield yet another pitched battle between the Golden State and the federal government.
Energy-exploration companies say drilling technology is more advanced and safer than ever. But a bipartisan array of governors from coastal states _ including California Democrat Jerry Brown and Florida Republican Rick Scott _ see offshore drilling as having a huge potential downside and want no part of it. Older Californians remember the devastation caused by the spill of more than 3 million gallons from a Union Oil platform off the Santa Barbara coast in 1969, which fouled miles of beaches. While more than two dozen platforms operate off the state's coast, most in federal waters, public opposition has prevented any new drilling sites from being approved for more than 30 years.
It's not just the environmental risk of offshore drilling that's worrisome. Also of concern is the Trump administration's gung-ho commitment to fossil fuels at a time when fears over the harsh effects of climate change just keep growing and alternate fuels are getting cheaper.
There are reasons to be confident that this is one fight California can win. No energy firm will seek a federal lease without being confident that they can build infrastructure necessary to get new oil to refineries and processing plants, and California controls the first three miles off its coast. If state officials refuse to approve pipelines, as they are already vowing to do, that would appear to be that.
The federal government has primacy over the 50 states in many broad areas. But it is far from all-powerful. Just because it can lease offshore sites for energy exploration doesn't mean it will get any takers _ not if adjacent states are hostile to drilling, as seems likely to be the norm on both coasts.
