Sponsors (24)
The bill protects Southern California coastal communities and marine resources by banning new offshore leasing in the area, at the cost of forgone local energy development jobs, reduced federal flexibility, and a modest risk of higher energy prices or greater import reliance.
Coastal residents, beach-dependent businesses, and regional fisheries and tourism operators in Southern California retain protections from new offshore drilling, reducing local oil spill and pollution risk and preserving marine and coastal recreation resources that support local economies.
State and local governments and communities opposed to offshore oil and gas activity gain regulatory certainty because the bill statutorily prevents new leasing in the specified Southern California planning area.
Consumers and taxpayers could face modestly higher energy prices or increased reliance on energy imports if blocking new leases reduces domestic oil and gas supply.
Energy companies and related workers in the region lose potential opportunities for new offshore leases, development work, and associated jobs.
Federal decisionmakers lose flexibility to balance energy development and environmental protection in the planning area because the statute creates an absolute override of other law.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars the Secretary from issuing any lease or authorization for oil or natural gas exploration, development, or production in the Southern California Planning Area identified in the 2024–2029 OCS leasing program.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Mike Levin · Last progress April 10, 2025
Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any lease or other authorization for exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in the Southern California Planning Area described in the 2024–2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program (September 2023). The ban is absolute and applies notwithstanding any other provision of law, amending the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to add this prohibition. The measure does not allocate funding or change tax or spending law; it creates a categorical, forward-looking federal ban on new oil and gas leasing or authorizations in the specified Southern California offshore planning area.