Last month, we warned you that the federal government had launched a review of California's coastal management program with the likely end goal of eliminating California's authority to push back on destructive offshore drilling and other federally regulated projects along our coast.
California's coastal magnificence and economic success isn't an accident, but the result of hard-won protections built, defended, and won over decades. We're not about to give those protections up now.
The review comment period has opened. Join us in fighting for California's right to protect our coast!
Public comment period has opened
On June 26, NOAA published a Federal Register notice formally kicking off the public input phase of its Section 312 performance evaluation. The notice confirms what we flagged last month: NOAA is soliciting feedback specifically on California's review of spaceport infrastructure, offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects, and undersea cables.
What's at risk
If NOAA finds California out of compliance, the consequences are real. Most importantly, a hostile review is the predicate for challenging California's federal consistency authority – the tool that stopped the Trestles toll road, that lets California object to offshore drilling in federal waters, and that requires federal infrastructure projects to account for coastal impacts before breaking ground.
Additionally, the Secretary of Commerce can suspend federal financial assistance to the Coastal Commission, the State Coastal Conservancy, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. These suspensions would last a minimum of six months and can run as long as 36.
How to submit a comment
NOAA is accepting input through three channels. Comments become part of the official public record, so anything submitted, including names, will be publicly accessible.
In-Person Public Meeting August 10, 2026 | 2-6 p.m. PT Pacific Ballroom, Hilton Santa Monica Hotel and Suites, 1707 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
To speak, register by emailing czma.california-evaluation@noaa.gov by 11:59 p.m. PT on August 8. Walk-in registration is available but called only after pre-registered speakers. Each speaker gets three minutes; time cannot be transferred to another speaker. The meeting will be recorded, and a transcript will be available by emailing the address above. You can also watch via livestream (comments not accepted through this channel): register for the livestream here.
Virtual Public Meetings August 11 and 12, 2026 | 2–5 p.m. PT each day, via Adobe Connect
Register by 11:59 p.m. PT on August 10 at this link. Attendance is capped at 1,000 per session, so NOAA asks participants to attend only one day. Speakers are called in order via the Adobe Connect "raise hand" function, with three minutes each and no transferring time. Sessions will be recorded, with transcripts available by email request.
Written Comments Email czma.california-evaluation@noaa.gov with "Comments on Performance Evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program" in the subject line. Deadline: August 22, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PT
What to say
If you live, work, surf, fish, or simply love the California coast, NOAA needs to hear from you directly. Tell them what California's coastal protections mean to your community. Point to the track record: a program that has concurred with the vast majority of federal projects it reviews, while still catching the rare ones that pose real harm. Remind them that this review follows directly on the heels of a 2024 evaluation that found California's program working exactly as intended.
This comment period is the public's formal opportunity to put these facts on the record before NOAA issues its findings. We'll be submitting our own comments and encourage our 30,000-plus California members and supporters to do the same.
Additional background
This new review comes less than two years after that 2024 evaluation – typically the cycle happens every five to 10 years. NOAA evaluated California's program in 2024, completed a draft report in June 2025 that found successful implementation and enforcement of the program, and never released a final version.
California's track record speaks for itself
Since 1980, California has reviewed at least 135 aerospace and space launch-related projects under its coastal program and objected to only two, both over unresolved procedural issues and documented harm to endangered wildlife from sonic booms.
The state has reviewed 18 undersea fiber optic cable projects over the past 30 years and concurred with every one, while securing protections for fishing grounds, marine habitat, and whale and sea turtle safety along the way.
California has conducted offshore oil and gas reviews consistently for 49 years, approving well-sited projects while requiring real safeguards against spill risk and habitat damage.
This is not a program standing in the way of "national priorities." It's a program operating exactly as the Coastal Zone Management Act was intended.