Why this matters
The feds want to shore up industry along the California coast. Environmental advocates and elected officials are worried.
Months after announcing plans to open California’s coast to off-shore drilling, the Trump administration is now seeking input from industry on a federal program that works with states to responsibly manage coastal development.
It’s raising concerns.
In late June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration made a call for comments on the California Coastal Management Program, particularly soliciting feedback from industries focused on spaceport infrastructure, offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects and undersea cables.
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in a press release that the “full, formal review” would ensure that priority is given to siting facilities for national defense, energy, ports and transportation.
“America must continue to lead in innovation, space exploration, and economic strength,“ Lutnick said. “Obstructionist policies that delay critical national infrastructure in the name of environmental extremism are unacceptable.”
Environmental advocates and elected officials in the San Diego region are raising alarms that the move is a step toward peeling back regulations and protections and would open up the coast to new and more invasive development.
“I’m opposed to offshore oil drilling off the California coast,” said state Sen. Catherine Blakespear. “We should make it really as hard as possible to do this off the California coast, because it’s over the objections of our local communities and our environmental groups and our local governments, and there’s no benefit to California.”
“They’re looking for the private sector to complain about regulation,” said Phillip Musegaas, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper. “This is not a request for environmentalists to come in and talk about how great the Coastal Act has been.”
What is the Coastal Act and why does it matter?
When the federal government established the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972, it did so acknowledging a “national interest in the effective management, beneficial use, protection, and development” of the shoreline – and the increasing demands for extracting resources from waters and coastal lands.
The intent of the federal act was to balance advancing industry against protecting fragile ecosystems and retaining public access.
To accomplish this, the act allowed states to establish federally approved coastal management systems. In California, that led to the creation of the California Coastal Commission, which controls land and access along the shore.
The act also allowed California and other states to gain funding for coastal protection projects while ceding power to the state management agency to review federally approved projects according to its own policies.
It’s a system that has been tested before in San Diego County, and successfully. In 2008, the California Coastal Commission objected to a proposal of a toll road through San Onofre State Beach, and the federal government upheld the decision.
But questions over states’ power and conflicting federal objectives have also brought about challenges. In 2011, Alaskan officials allowed their program to sunset, with some leaders saying the program was slowing projects on its coast.
What is at stake in California today?
California has 1,100 miles of shoreline and its identity and economy are tied to the waters of and prime land off the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes that can lead to conflict.
Musegaas says he and other environmental advocates, like Jennifer Savage from the Surfrider Foundation, are in a unique position to comment on the successes of the coastal management program.
“Fine, you want to undertake a review of the Coastal Zone Management Act in California?” Musegaas said. “We’re here to tell you how well it’s working.”
Among the state’s successes are the establishment of marine protected areas that have served as a model worldwide as an “international gold standard.” These areas have been shown to promote habitat and marine life regeneration that keeps commercial fishing sustainable.
The Coastal Commission has also blocked two attempts for SpaceX to increase rocket launches from Vendenberg Space Force Base, citing a lack of environmental review.
Last year the Trump administration stepped in with an executive order to loosen regulations for spaceport infrastructure, citing national security priorities.
A spokesperson for NOAA, the federal agency that oversees the Coastal Zone Management Act, declined an interview request with inewsource and reiterated in an email that the agency wanted input from “relevant stakeholders” in the five listed industries as part of its review.
SpaceX also did not respond to an interview request.
San Diego Council President Joe LaCava, whose council district includes La Jolla and Pacific Beach on the coast, said it’s time for locals to fight for protections they may have taken for granted.
“I used to say, ‘patience and persistence,’” LaCava said. “I think the patience is kind of running out. We just have to be aggressive and persistent to send our message and clearly articulate what’s important to us.”
An in-person public meeting on the matter will be held on Aug. 10 at the Santa Monica Hotel and Suites at 1707 4th Street in Santa Monica. To register, send an email to czma.california-evaluation@noaa.gov by Aug. 8.
NOAA will also hold two virtual public meetings on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12. Register for either of those meetings by Aug. 10 via Adobe Connect.
