San Diego is joining a chorus of cities and counties across California opposing new oil and gas drilling as proposed by the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved a resolution that rejects the federal plan, known as the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.
Released late last year, the proposal serves as a blueprint for potential offshore oil and gas lease sales through 2031. Of the nearly three dozen lease sites proposed, six are off the coast of California, including three in Southern California.
The city’s resolution affirms the stance San Diego took in 2018 when the first Trump administration unsuccessfully proposed opening up the West Coast to new drilling.
New drilling off the Pacific Coast has historically been off limits in state waters, or roughly three miles offshore. The Trump administration reversed previous protections that blocked new drilling in federal waters.
Federal officials said the proposed leasing plan would make America less reliant on foreign suppliers, lower prices and secure jobs.
But local government leaders, including in San Diego, argue that drilling would threaten coastal resources, marine wildlife and human health.
“These leases would allow fossil fuel companies to explore and drill in our waters, locking in pollution and climate harm for decades,” San Diego City Council member Sean Elo-River said at a news conference on Tuesday.
He was joined by City Council President Joe LaCava and members of several environmental organizations.
“Our ocean, beaches and coastline are vital recreational, economic and ecological treasures that would be devastated by an expansion of offshore oil drilling,” said Mitch Silverstein, who is state policy senior coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation.
Dozens of cities and counties have adopted similar resolutions. San Diego County, Solana Beach, Vista and Escondido are among them locally.
These resolutions don’t have the legal force to stop the federal government from issuing leases, but LaCava said they can have some influence.
“We have to use the tools that we have and make sure that when the question came up, ‘What did you do?’ That we can stand united,” he said. “So, we fought with everything we could.”
The leasing plan is still in its early stages. If approved, drilling wouldn’t happen immediately. Each potential sale would undergo further environmental review. The program is open for public comment through Jan. 23.
