California Coastal Protection Act · AB 1448 (Hart)
The Legislature has passed the strongest defense California has ever had against expanded offshore drilling. It becomes law only with the Governor's signature. Send your letter to his office in under two minutes.
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What the bill does
President Biden permanently withdrew the waters off California from new federal oil leasing. On his first day in office, President Trump revoked that protection, and the federal government is now moving to expand drilling in the Pacific. California cannot stop federal leasing outright — but nearly every path to bringing new federal oil ashore runs through state waters, state platforms, state pipelines, and state leases. AB 1448 closes those paths.
California has learned this lesson at great cost. The 1969 blowout at Union Oil's Platform A, the 2015 Plains All American pipeline rupture at Refugio, and the 2021 Amplify spill off Orange County killed thousands of marine mammals, seabirds, and fish and imposed hundreds of millions of dollars in cleanup and damage costs on coastal communities.
Prohibits using existing oil platforms, pipelines, and leases in state waters to service or expand federal offshore production.
Requires the State Lands Commission to weigh a fuller set of environmental, economic, and safety factors before renewing, modifying, extending, or transferring any oil and gas lease.
Ends the final remaining exception for new oil and gas leasing in California's own state waters.
The claims and the data
"Blocking offshore oil will raise gas prices for Californians."
Gasoline prices track crude prices set on a global market of roughly 105 million barrels a day. The most optimistic federal estimate for new Pacific offshore production is about 229,000 barrels a day — 0.22% of global supply — with first production not expected until 2037–2040. Not enough to move prices in fifteen years, let alone today.
"Without local oil, California will depend on dirtier foreign imports."
According to the California Air Resources Board's own carbon-intensity figures, California crude is more carbon-intensive than the oil the state imports. And on a per-barrel basis, imports from Alaska, the Middle East, and South America are cheaper to produce and deliver than new production offshore California.
"Offshore drilling is vital to California's economy and jobs."
The coastal "blue" economy — fisheries, aquaculture, coastal agriculture, tourism, recreation, hospitality — supports 511,324 jobs and over $51 billion a year. The state's entire oil and gas sector employs 19,733 people, about 0.1% of California's workforce (BLS, 2025). One spill can wipe out a season for the businesses that depend on a clean coast.
"California's refineries need more in-state oil to keep running."
Oil is a global market. Even with planned refinery closures, the state's own data shows that existing import capacity and port infrastructure can supply California's refineries for the next six years. Refineries do not need new offshore wells to keep operating.
Where it stands
Who supports AB 1448
Co-sponsored by the organizations above and backed by more than sixty groups across the state, including:
Monterey Bay Aquarium · Surfrider Foundation · NRDC · Sierra Club California · Patagonia · Defenders of Wildlife · Friends of the Earth · Food & Water Watch · California Environmental Voters · The Climate Center · Climate Hawks Vote · Vote Solar · Azul · Los Padres ForestWatch · Santa Barbara Channelkeeper · Ventura Coastkeeper · San Francisco Baykeeper · Get Oil Out! · California Coastal Protection Network · Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation · Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation · Clean Water Action · Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast · Elected Officials to Protect America · 350 Santa Barbara · 350 Bay Area Action · SanDiego350 · SoCal 350 · Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment · Physicians for Social Responsibility SF Bay · Indivisible CA Green Team
Sources