Californians have another opportunity this week to weigh in on a federal review of how the state manages development along its coastline. The review comes as tensions continue between the Trump administration and state regulators over offshore oil, spaceports and other coastal projects.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is holding public meetings as it evaluates California's Coastal Management Program under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick ordered NOAA to review whether California’s program complies with federal law. The commerce department accused state regulators of failing to adequately consider federal priorities and accused the State of California of engaging in so-called environmental extremism.
California officials have pushed back against that characterization. The California Natural Resources Agency has said NOAA conducted a review of the state’s coastal program in 2024 and issued a draft report in 2025 that found California had successfully implemented the program. That report was never finalized, according to the state agency.
This latest review is seeking public input on offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, spaceport infrastructure, and desalination projects.
Several of those issues have become points of contention between California and the federal government on the Central Coast, where Sable Offshore has restarted oil operations and Vandenberg Space Force Base hosts military and commercial space launches.
Gianna Patchen, a contributor for KCBX’s Issues and Ideas is also an organizer with the Sierra Club's Santa Lucia Chapter in San Luis Obispo County. She characterized the new federal review as retaliation against the California Coastal Commission.
"The Trump administration has actually made it pretty clear that this is retaliation against the Coastal Commission," Patchen said.
She is referring to a broader state and federal fight playing out over Sable oil operations in the Gaviota coast. The Trump Administration invoked federal authority to support the restart of Sable’s pipeline, while California officials have gone to court to argue that support violates state law.
Patchen pointed to the coastal commission's opposition to Sable Offshore's unauthorized work, which includes the pipeline involved in the 2015 Refugio oil spill.
"The Coastal Commission has been pushing back against Sable Offshore oil, the restarted pipeline down in Santa Barbara, the pipeline that caused the Refugio oil spill," Patchen said. "And so when we're talking about the Central Coast of California, right? Like our communities are at the frontline of this."
Patchen said environmental advocates are concerned that changes made to California’s Coastal Management Program could make way for more industrial development along the coast.
"We don't want to see our coast industrialize," Patton said. "We don't want to see our communities bearing the brunt of the impacts of expanded development, whether that's rocket launches or offshore oil pipelines."
The Coastal Commission reviews development along California’s coast and plays a role in determining whether certain federal activities are consistent with the state’s approved policies.
However, Secretary Lutnick said this review will assess the state’s coastal management needs, including consideration of economic development and the nation’s priorities.
Patchen says that process gives communities an opportunity to weigh in on projects that could affect coastal ecosystems, public health and public access.
NOAA is holding another virtual public meeting Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m. as part of the evaluation. People who cannot attend the meeting can submit written comments to NOAA through Aug. 22.
