Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill to block the Trump administration from expanding offshore oil drilling along California’s coast, his office announced on Saturday.
Brown also announced his opposition to the administration’s plan to restart drilling on public lands.
“Today, California’s message to the Trump administration is simple: Not here, not now,” Brown said in a statement. “We will not let the federal government pillage public lands and destroy our treasured coast.”
The bill also requires new public notices for lease renewals, extension amendments or modifications to oil and gas-related infrastructure associated with new federal leases.
“From the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill to the 2015 Refugio spill, I represent a community that knows all too well the devastation oil spills can bring to our economy and environment. I’m very pleased to see this legislation signed into law, because we’ve always known, that if we don’t drill, it can’t spill,” said Santa Barbara Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson.
No expansion in federal oil and gas drilling has taken place along California’s coastline in more than 30 years.
The announcement comes a few days before officials are set to convene in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit.
