As your constituent, I urge you to vote YES on AB 1448, which will close dangerous loopholes, clarify that the use of existing infrastructure for expanded federal offshore oil drilling is prohibited, and add commonsense protections for California’s coast, coastal communities, and its trillion-dollar economy.
California banned new offshore oil leases and infrastructure in state waters, but the federal government is planning to massively expand drilling off California’s coast. Independent analysis shows that current efforts to restart old production facilities would result in increased carbon emissions and would not reduce imports of foreign oil. AB 1448 ensures that oil companies can’t circumvent California’s offshore drilling protections by quietly reactivating or repurposing aging oil infrastructure to support expanded federal drilling offshore. It would require those restarting for other purposes to include a transparent, updated review process and safeguards.
Specifically, the bill:
• Prohibits the use of existing state infrastructure (e.g., pipelines and terminals) to support new or expanded production from federal offshore leases.
• Requires a new coastal development permit before reactivating any oil or gas facility that has been idle for five years or more, ensuring updated environmental and community review.
AB1448 provides critical oversight where expanded drilling and aging high-risk infrastructure threatens the coast, coastal economy, and public health, with another preventable spill.
California is burdened by oil spills every year, including the Refugio and Amplify disasters. Aging infrastructure presents an even higher risk of failure. California’s coast is a significant contributor to the state economy, supporting more than 500,000 jobs and generating $44 billion per year. A 2015 NOAA analysis found that California’s coastal economy generated $662 billion in wages and $1.7 trillion GDP (each figure accounting for 80% of the respective state totals). In fact, the GDP generated by California’s coastal counties is exceeded by only 11 countries. We can’t risk another oil spill catastrophe.
Again, I urge your AYE vote on AB 1448.
