HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB 1448 (Hart) - Opposing Offshore Oil Expansion - City of San Luis Obispo - Request to Governor to SIGNCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114,
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September 1, 2026
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor of California
1021 O Street. Suite 9000
Sacramento, California 95814
RE: AB 1448 (Hart) — REQUEST FOR SIGNATURE
Dear Governor Newsom:
On behalf of the City of San Luis Obispo, I respectfully urge you to sign AB 1448 (Hart) — the
California Coastal Protection Act — into law. Our community depends on a clean and healthy
ocean and coastline for tourism, recreation, fisheries, jobs, local revenue, public access, and
quality of life.
AB 1448 addresses the immediate threat to California’s coast from the federal proposal to
expand oil and gas drilling across all federally managed ocean waters offshore California. For
more than 30 years, California has banned new offshore oil drilling in state waters and since
2019 has prohibited the use of state tidelands to support new oil and gas infrastructure that
would serve new federal offshore drilling. Now, these new proposed federal lease sales could
attempt to expand oil and gas drilling off California’s coast by using old, corroded, and
dangerous infrastructure that exists in state waters, despite the great risk to marine habitats,
commercial fishing, tourism, and the state’s multibillion dollar coastal economy. AB 1448
bolsters existing law by preventing existing infrastructure on California tidelands and
submerged lands from being used to enable new federal offshore oil development.
Local governments throughout California have repeatedly adopted resolutions and positions
opposing new offshore oil drilling. These resolutions reflect the strong concerns of the
communities we represent. A uniform state policy will unite the positions taken by over 80
California municipalities and is necessary to ensure that California-controlled tidelands and
infrastructure are not used as a pathway to expand federal drilling off our coast.
The need for action is not hypothetical. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has
proposed the entire federal waters off California for oil and gas leasing. Even as that draft
plan is in process the agency has already held public comment periods evaluating potential
lease sales off California and has solicited industry interest and fast-tracked environmental
review. Additionally, the agency has explicitly proposed utilizing existing infrastructure in
state waters to service new federal drilling activity as part of the 11th Outer Continental Shelf
Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
California knows firsthand the consequences of offshore oil development and the risks of
aging infrastructure. The 1969 Santa Barbara spill; the 2015 Refugio spill which resulted from
an old, corroded pipeline; and the 2021 Orange County spill damaged marine habitats, killed
ocean life, closed beaches and fisheries, caused economic losses for local businesses and
tourism, and imposed significant burdens on coastal communities. AB 1448 provides
California with the authority at this critical moment to prevent infrastructure in state waters
from being used to enable new federal lease sales and adds an additional safeguard for our
communities, local economies, and invaluable coastal resources.
AB 1448 also expands on current safeguards when offshore oil leases are proposed for
renewal, modification, amendment, or assignment. These provisions are necessary to
address aging infrastructure that poses an increased risk of an oil spill or other accident. In
doing so, the bill builds on existing state law, and it is also practical and implementable. It
relies primarily on authorities and processes already administered by the State Lands
Commission and local trustees rather than creating a new regulatory system. AB 1448 will
establish clear standards to enable California to uphold public trust values while
strengthening environmental safety and bolstering public overview.
AB 1448 is also a responsible approach from a state budget perspective. The bill contains no
appropriation and largely operates through existing state and local administrative processes.
California cannot control whether the federal government offers new offshore oil leases. We
must, however, add this additional protection to keep oil companies from risking our
communities by attempting to use old existing infrastructure in California waters for new
drilling activity offshore. AB 1448 is a critical, measured, implementable, and fiscally
responsible step that responds directly to the concerns local governments and Californians
across our state have expressed: no new offshore oil drilling.
I respectfully urge you to SIGN AB 1448 (Hart) into law.
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo