PREVIOUSLY: State and Local Reps React to Trump Plan to Open More than 1 Billion Acres to New Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling

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The Trump Administration has announced its intention to expand offshore oil and gas development off the coast of California. The Department of the Interior released its “11th National Offshore Leasing Program,” which proposes as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales, covering approximately 1.27 billion acres, including six sales in California. The North Coast of California is home to three offshore oil and gas fields, including the Eel River Basin, Point Arena Basin, and the Bodega Basin. At this time it is unclear the degree to which oil and gas development is a true threat. In 2018, Trump issued a similar call for new offshore fossil fuel development, which resulted in new offshore leases in the Gulf of Mexico, although none in California. But we believe we should approach this threat as if it is serious, as we have seen the consequences of oil spills related to offshore oil and gas development in Santa Barbara in 1969 and 2015, Port Angeles in 1985, Grays Harbor in 1988, Alaska’s Prince William Sound in 1989, Coos Bay in 1999, and the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

Here’s what we can do as a community to minimize the threat to the North Coast.

Support Local Government Policies that Frustrate Oil and Gas Development

While there are limits to local control of oil and gas development, particularly in offshore waters, local governments can control land use associated with onshore support facilities. In 1988, Humboldt County voters overwhelmingly approved Measure B, which requires that all onshore oil and gas support facilities be approved by a vote of the people. It does not appear that the County has codified Measure B into County Code, although we believe that the prohibitions contained in the measure still stand. In 2023, the Governor signed Senate Bill 704, which ended offshore oil and gas exemptions in the Coastal Act dating back to the 1980s. The result is that it will be much more difficult to build new or expanded oil and gas facilities such as oil terminals, pipelines, or support facilities on land zoned for Coastal-Dependent Industry. These uses could still be proposed, but now they are required to comply with the Coastal Act. Furthermore, in 2025, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution in opposition to potential oil and gas development.

While these measures form an initial bulwark against onshore support facilities, we urge further action. The Board of Supervisors should ensure that the voter-approved Measure B is codified into County Code and review the Measure to ensure that it is sufficient to meet the current threat. Additionally, we urge other coastal jurisdictions, including the City of Eureka and the Humboldt Bay Harbor District to pass similar resolutions and take additional further actions.

Support Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

The threat to drill for oil and gas offshore exists because we do not have adequate renewable energy. Full stop. In addition to reducing our energy usage through improved efficiency and conservation, we need to develop more renewable energy. For the North Coast, this means taking a hard look at floating offshore wind energy generation, solar, battery storage, and other actions to generate and store renewable energy.

Fight Like Hell

Should the Trump Administration move forward with any offshore oil and gas development, your North Coast environmental organizations will stand together to fight like hell in opposition. We urge you to join in this fight.

Tom Wheeler
Executive Director, EPIC

Jennifer Kalt
Executive Director, Humboldt Waterkeeper

Alicia Hamann
Executive Director, Friends of the Eel River

Alicia Bales
Chapter Director, Sierra Club Redwood Chapter

Kathryn Wendel
President, Redwood Region Audubon Society

Dan Chandler
350 Humboldt

Wendy Ring
Humboldt Coalition for Clean Energy

Sue Lee
Chair, Climate Action Campaign at Humboldt UU Fellowship

Michael Welch
Director, Redwood Alliance

Lee Dedini
Arcata Presbyterian Earth Care

Larry Glass
Northcoast Environmental Center

Joe Gillespie
President, Friends of Del Norte

Nick Joslin
Policy and Advocacy Director, Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center

Jessie Misha
Chair, Surfrider Foundation Humboldt Chapter

Suzie Fortner
Executive Director, Friends of the Dunes

Luke Ruediger
Siskiyou Crest Coalition