Federal oil and gas regulators on Thursday kicked off their environmental review of proposed new fossil fuel drilling lease sales off the California coast, signaling that the proceeding is moving forward despite sustained opposition from Golden State leaders.
What happened: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced its intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for leases off the California coast, the first step toward satisfying the National Environmental Policy Act approvals it would need to hold the lease sales.
“California households are facing an energy affordability crisis, and inaction is no longer an option,” Matt Giacona, acting director of BOEM, said in a statement. “This notice of intent reflects the administration’s commitment to responsibly evaluating offshore leasing as part of a broader strategy to lower costs, strengthen energy security, and support American jobs.”
Why it matters: The announcement indicates that California officials’ push to slow the Trump administration’s march toward opening up new areas off the coast to fossil fuel drilling have thus far failed to stymie the process.
