Trump Administration Draft Review Would Strip California Coastal Authority: Federal Funding Suspended, Corrective List Names SpaceX and an Oil Company
According to an October 24 report by the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a draft federal review through a public records request, the Trump administration said it would strip California of its authority to protect its coastline unless state regulators agreed to more than a dozen corrective actions. The draft said future federal funding for the state's coastal management program has been suspended "unless and until the identified deficiencies are satisfactorily addressed."
The 92-page review, prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management, cited what it called a pattern of jurisdictional and regulatory overreach, saying California coastal authorities have demonstrated unjustified hostility and political bias against offshore drilling opportunities, oil and gas projects broadly, and SpaceX's launch activities. At the top of the corrective list, the California Coastal Commission must meet with SpaceX and discuss any outstanding concerns about political bias and productive next steps. Coastal authorities were also directed to discuss regulatory burden and overreach concerns with Sable Offshore Corp., a Texas-based oil company that has sought President Trump's influence to bypass state oversight and restart a once-dormant offshore operation off the Santa Barbara coast. The state's leading coastal agency must also issue an official statement by January pledging that California will not categorically oppose initiatives led by certain entities, or relating to certain industries such as oil and gas, or involving certain activities such as offshore drilling.
The three California agencies charged with implementing the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) — the Coastal Commission, the California State Coastal Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission — have until November 16 to respond to the preliminary findings and corrective actions. Coastal Commission spokesperson Joshua Smith said the commission was disappointed to receive the draft evaluation given its long history of stellar federal reviews and a 50-year record of successful federal partnership, in which 96 percent of the time the commission either approves projects as submitted or negotiates improvements so they can move forward. Smith said the commission has requested a 15-day extension beyond the November 16 deadline, as allowed under CZMA regulations. The federal government will then issue its final determinations.
Earlier this year, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced a fresh evaluation of California's CZMA compliance using a new approach that would take offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, spaceport infrastructure, desalination projects and undersea cables into consideration. More than 23,000 written comments were submitted during the 45-day public comment period this summer. A memo attached to the draft findings acknowledged areas where the California Coastal Management Program is excellent and a national leader, while the draft said federal officials considered only 22 of the 23,071 written comments to be complex, and that about 12 of those expressed concern or disapproval of California's coastal management, which the review cited in its recommendations. The review also singled out the Coastal Commission's handling of vehicle use at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
Wade Crowfoot, California's secretary for natural resources, called the review a failure of the public process and a preordained political attack by the Trump administration, saying its aim was to strong-arm California on behalf of oil companies and clear the path for massive new oil drilling off the coast. U.S. Senator Adam Schiff has condemned the administration's use of the CZMA as blatantly illegal and politically motivated. Meg Caldwell, who directed Stanford's Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program for more than two decades, called the audit an attack on states' rights and a dangerous ultimatum. Legal experts said the federal government has never before attempted to strip a coastal state of its rights in this way, and that the consequences could be far-reaching if the draft findings become final.
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Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加州 Oceano Dunes 海滩实景（资料图）：联邦评审草案曾专门提及该州立车辆游憩区的沙滩车辆通行争议。照片：公共领域。 / Oceano Dunes beach in California (file photo): the federal draft review singled out the long-running dispute over vehicle use at this state vehicular recreation area. Photo: public domain.
