SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California commissions that oversee coastal lands and water are pushing the Trump administration to leave the state out of plans to expand offshore drilling.
The State Lands Commission sent a letter Wednesday saying the state would not approve pipelines to transport oil from offshore drilling rigs to the shore. The commission manages the first three miles offshore.
The California Coastal Commission says in its own letter that an oil spill would be catastrophic to California's economy.
Both agencies pointed to a 1969 spill near Santa Barbara that caused severe environmental damage, hurt local fishermen and dissuaded tourists from visiting.
The agencies weighed in ahead of a public hearing Thursday in Sacramento, the only opportunity for people to register their opinions in person in California.
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