San Mateo County fights to preserve California’s coastal authority as offshore drilling debate intensifies
San Mateo County, California – A federal review that may sound procedural is raising much bigger questions along San Mateo County’s shoreline. At stake, county leaders say, is California’s ability to help decide what happens just offshore, including whether future oil drilling moves closer to its coast.
Supervisors Ray Mueller and Jackie Speier are pushing federal officials to preserve that authority, warning that weakening the state’s role could put decades of coastal protection at risk.
Mueller recently traveled to Santa Monica to testify during a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration performance evaluation of California’s Coastal Management Program.
“I traveled here today to express support for the California Coastal Management Program and express our County’s unequivocal opposition to the issuance of any offshore oil drilling leases and permits off our coast,” Mueller told federal officials.
He pointed to action already taken at home. In January, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oppose the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s proposed 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The proposal identifies waters off San Mateo County for possible future leasing.
“The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors recently passed a unanimous resolution opposing these leases and permits. Introducing offshore oil drilling threatens decades of conservation and puts our irreplaceable environment and economy at catastrophic risk,” Mueller said.
California’s Coastal Management Program allows the state to review activities that could affect coastal resources. That authority extends beyond oil and gas development to pipeline maintenance, desalination projects, undersea cables and other projects.
Speier said the issue is also economic.
“Our coast is one of California’s most valuable assets that defines the character of our state. It’s an economic engine generating billions of dollars from tourism, recreation and maritime industries. We refuse to let the Trump administration dictate how California will use its iconic coastline. San Mateo County firmly rejects polluting offshore drilling rigs.”
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The county’s shoreline is within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, an area supporting fisheries, wildlife and coastal communities.
“Our coastline is not a resource to be extracted and discarded; it’s our home, our economy and our enduring legacy,” said Mueller, whose District 3 includes most of the county’s coastline. “We depend on the California Coastal Management Program to protect us.”
NOAA says its review is examining how California is carrying out the program and managing coastal uses and resources. Written comments will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. Aug. 22, 2026, with submission instructions available in the agency’s Federal Register notice.
