California’s Coast is Under Threat
For almost 50 years under the Coastal Zone Management Act, or CZMA, California has had a legal right to review federal projects affecting its coastline. That means that proposals for offshore oil drilling, pipeline construction, undersea cables, and spaceport launches are required to meet the state's environmental standards. That right is called federal consistency authority, and it is the cornerstone of California's coastal protection framework.
The Trump administration is now trying to take away California’s authority through a performance review of the state’s coastal management practices. If their review concludes that California is out of compliance with the CZMA, the federal government can withdraw approval of California's coastal management program, and with it, California's consistency authority disappears entirely. Federal agencies could then approve projects affecting California's coast without the state's meaningful input. Offshore oil leases, pipeline projects, and coastal development could all move forward on federal terms alone. The move is unprecedented - no state has ever been stripped of its rights in this way.
Notably, this review was sparked when the California Coastal Commission twice voted against a dramatic expansion of SpaceX rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, at which point federal officials argued that “California has repeatedly and unfoundedly obstructed spaceport development in bad faith.” Unsurprisingly, this blatant attempt to strip California of its coastal protection authority is happening at the same moment the administration is moving to open the Pacific Coast to offshore oil drilling for the first time in more than four decades.
There is one more fact that makes this review especially troubling. In May 2025, one year before this proceeding was announced, NOAA's own professional evaluation team conducted a review and assessment of California's coastal program. They held public meetings, gathered public input, reviewed years of program documentation, and concluded that California was fully compliant with every federal standard now at issue. That report was never released, the evaluation was set aside, and now a new, politically directed review was launched in its place.
A history of state and federal partnership
The Coastal Zone Management Act, or CZMA, was signed by President Nixon in 1972 in the wake of a devastating blowout that spilled three million gallons of crude oil off the coast of Santa Barbara, fouling hundreds of miles of beach and killing massive amounts of wildlife and sparking the modern environmental movement.
The law was created as a partnership between states and the federal government: each state can develop approved programs and principles to manage its own coast, and in turn federal officials must honor the state management plan once it’s authorized. While this state authority does not provide an absolute veto on federal projects, it means that California gets a meaningful seat at the table to protect our coast.
Over the last 50 years, the CZMA has allowed California to block a handful of potentially devastating federal projects. California used its authority to halt controversial offshore oil leases between Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands in the early 2000s, it blocked a proposed offshore liquefied natural gas port that would have posed significant explosion risks for residents from Ventura to Malibu, and it has secured thousands of public beach access points along the coast. These protections exist because the CZMA empowered California to demand that federal projects meet its standards.
However, blocked federal projects are the exception, not the rule. Since the 1970s, California has approved 96% of the federal actions that have come before the state for review. The CZMA is critical to ensure California has autonomy over its coast, but the administration’s argument that California has failed to give adequate consideration to federal priorities is simply untrue.
All eyes on California
Every coastal state has a stake in what happens here. If California loses its coastal authority, the result would be a chilling effect on coastal protection nationwide: states deferring to federal commercial and energy priorities not because the law requires it, but because they fear losing the authority to protect their coasts at all.
The CZMA was born from an oil spill that changed how America thought about its coastlines. California's program has spent nearly fifty years proving that strong environmental oversight and a thriving coastal economy can go hand in hand. What is being attempted now puts all of that at risk – and sets a precedent that reaches far beyond California's shores.
Join us in telling NOAA to preserve California's ability to protect our coastal waters. Send written comments by August 22 to NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management at czma.california-evaluation@noaa.gov. Include “Comments on Performance Evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program” in the subject line. View the Federal Register notice for more information.