Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)
Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) declared its intent to offer oil and gas leasing in California:
“We won’t tolerate the Trump Administration’s intent to auction off California’s coast for offshore drilling to the highest bidder. Our coastline is not for sale. Period.
“The Administration wants us to believe that offshore drilling would increase supply and lower prices. The facts tell a different story.
“This scheme will not lower prices at the pump. The consequences of offshore drilling would be catastrophic for our communities, our economy, and our environment. Our region has already endured the negative impacts of what even one offshore failure can do.
“Not long ago, an oil spill off the Orange County coast leaked tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. The impact was severe. Families lost access to the shoreline. Businesses lost revenue. Beaches closed, wildlife died, and fisherman were forced to stop their operations. We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past.
“Coastal communities throughout our district do not want this. Cities up and down the coast have stood together on a bipartisan basis to oppose offshore drilling because protecting our coastline is common sense. Democrats and Republicans alike have rejected previous offshore drilling plans and will continue to do so. The risks are too high.
“I will fight this every single step of the way because protecting our coastline safeguards our economy, protects our environment, and preserves our way of life.”
BACKGROUND:
In November 2025, the Trump Administration announced new offshore drilling plans for the nation that would include up to 34 offshore lease sales covering approximately 1.27 billion acres of United States coastline, including three lease sales in Southern California. The plan would also include 21 lease sales off the coast of Alaska and seven in the Gulf of Mexico, and create a new administrative planning area called the South-Central Gulf of America.
Rep. Levin has advocated extensively for a ban on offshore drilling. In November 2024, Rep. Levin sent a letter to the Biden Administration that resulted in the withdrawal of future oil and natural gas leasing in sensitive coastal areas across the country, including in Southern California. In April 2025, he reintroduced the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act to ban offshore drilling along the Southern California coast. He also co-sponsored Rep. Jared Huffman’s (CA- 02) bill, West Coast Ocean Protection Act, which would ban offshore drilling throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Rep. Levin’s bill has been endorsed by numerous environmental groups and cities throughout the 49th Congressional District.
The Trump Administration is now attempting to open these areas to drilling and roll back environmental regulations.
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