California just strengthened its defenses against new offshore drilling.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1448 (Hart), the California Coastal Protection Act, into law. This legislation closes a loophole in state law that could have allowed existing oil and gas infrastructure in state waters to support new drilling in federal waters off California’s coast.
This victory comes at an important time: in late 2025, the Trump Administration proposed new federal oil and gas leases along the entire length of California’s coast, reversing decades of protections established in the wake of the catastrophic 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. The proposal threatens California’s coastal communities, fishing industries, tourism economy, and marine habitats with the first set of offshore drilling leases in decades.
“AB 1448 is another step toward preventing a new generation of drilling off our coast,” said Matt Koller, Surfrider’s California Offshore Drilling Campaign Manager. “We applaud Governor Newsom, Assemblymember Hart, and the California Legislature for helping close this loophole as the federal government targets California for new offshore oil and gas leasing. AB 1448 ensures that California’s infrastructure cannot be used to support the dangerous extraction of harmful fossil fuels, and sends a clear message: California will continue to stand up for our ocean, coastal communities, and the businesses and livelihoods that depend on a healthy coast.”
California has some of the strongest protections against offshore drilling in the country. Existing law already prohibited the California State Lands Commission from issuing new leases for oil and gas infrastructure supporting federal leases issued after January 1, 2018, but there was a loophole.
Oil companies could potentially use existing, aging infrastructure in state waters to support new federal offshore drilling—including ports, pipelines, and facilities that have operated off California for decades. AB 1448 closes that loophole.
The new law prohibits existing infrastructure from being used to support new offshore oil and gas development. It also requires the State Lands Commission to consider additional environmental and safety factors before renewing or transferring leases and tightens California’s prohibition on offshore oil drilling in state waters.
This is important because California cannot prohibit the federal government from issuing offshore drilling leases in federal waters. But it can control whether its land, leases, and infrastructure can be used to support that drilling.
California has a long history of environmental disasters related to offshore oil drilling. For example, the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill helped launch the modern environmental movement after millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Santa Barbara Channel. Nearly 50 years later, the 2015 Plains oil spill once again coasted the Santa Barbara coastline in crude oil after a corroded pipeline burst near Refugio State Beach. And in 2021, a major spill off Orange County contaminated beaches and coastal habitats.
These disasters caused extensive environmental damage, killed marine wildlife, closed beaches and fisheries, and cost the coastal economy millions upon millions of dollars. California should not release those mistakes by allowing aging infrastructure from the state’s existing offshore oil industry to enable a new generation of offshore drilling.
For more than 50 years, California has led the nation in coastal protection, and AB 1448 continues that legacy at a moment when federal protections for our coast are under attack.
We applaud Governor Gavin Newsom, Assemblymember Gregg Hart, and the entire California Legislature for taking action to protect California’s coast, ocean, and coastal economy from offshore drilling.
While the passage of AB 1448 is a huge milestone towards protecting the California coast, the battle is far from over. In the coming months, the U.S. Department of the Interior will release the second draft of the federal offshore drilling plan. The updated proposal is expected to include the waters off California, despite the recent action by California lawmakers.
Surfrider urges our supporters to take additional action to protect California and other regions from new offshore drilling. Please contact your members of Congress to urge them to pass legislation to protect all U.S. coasts from new oil and gas development. Please also stay tuned to Surfrider channels for other ways to make your voice heard including the upcoming (and final) public comment period of the federal offshore drilling plan.
As the California Offshore Drilling Campaign Manager, Matt leads Surfrider's campaign to prevent new offshore drilling along California's coast. He works across the federal and state policy landscape to advance science-based policies and strategic advocacy efforts that protect the Golden State's shoreline and ocean.