The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today it will hold a public meeting in Santa Monica, California, on Aug. 10, 2026, followed by two virtual meetings, as part of its formal review of California's Coastal Management Program under the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). This review is a directive of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, following an Executive Order issued by President Trump last year focused on California's oversight of commercial space launches. This extraordinary, out-of-cycle review now extends far beyond space development and is a clear attempt by the Trump administration to target one of California's most effective tools for protecting its iconic coastline from development and preventing adverse impacts to vulnerable wildlife and habitat.

"The stakes could not be higher," said Andrew Johnson, California representative at Defenders of Wildlife. "The Trump administration's move to reopen California's waters to offshore drilling would significantly undermine California's authority to challenge federal resource-exploitation projects that threaten wildlife, marine ecosystems and coastal communities."

California's federally approved Coastal Management Program gives the state authority to review and object to a wide range of federal actions affecting its coast, including offshore oil and gas leasing, energy infrastructure and other projects that threaten coastal resources.

For more than 50 years, the CZMA has fostered an effective federal-state partnership that balances economic development with the protection of coastal resources. California's Coastal Management Program has been equally instrumental in protecting the state's coastal wildlife, restoring more than 100,000 acres of important habitat like kelp forests, estuaries, salt marshes, sandy beaches and coastal dunes, protecting over 500,000 acres of natural lands as open space and removing over 26 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways across the state.

Following the public meetings in-person and online, NOAA will accept public comments through Aug. 22, 2026.

According to the Trump administration, the review will determine whether California is giving sufficient weight to national priorities, including offshore energy, transportation, infrastructure and commercial space development. This unprecedented action, however, could create a chilling effect for other states' willingness to use their legal authority to protect their coasts from harmful federal actions.
"This unnecessary review sends a clear message to California and other coastal states: challenge the administration's priorities, and your coastal management program may become the next target." said Stephanie Altman, senior energy and biodiversity specialist at Defenders of Wildlife.

Defenders of Wildlife encourages anyone who values California's coastline and those across our nation to participate in the in-person public meeting on Aug. 10, and virtual meetings on Aug. 11 and 12. Participants can view registration information in the official notice under "Addresses." It's imperative that we show our support for California's authority to protect its coastal wildlife, marine ecosystems and communities through the longstanding federal-state partnership established by the CZMA.

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For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America's wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.

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