Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26
Trump Administration Reviews California Coastal Commission Over 840-Mile Coast Powers
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26

Trump Administration Reviews California Coastal Commission Over 840-Mile Coast Powers

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26

Summary

  • NOAA on Friday launched a formal performance evaluation of the California Coastal Commission and other agencies overseeing the state’s 840-mile coastline, opening a review that could curb state authority.
  • The assessment will examine how those bodies handle spaceport infrastructure, offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects and undersea cables, with possible funding cuts or other penalties on the table.
  • The move targets one of California’s most powerful land-use regulators, created by voters in the 1970s to protect coastal access and limit development along one of the state’s most valuable public resources.
  • Trump has repeatedly attacked the commission after disputes over a 70-foot flag at his golf course and SpaceX launch limits, and California in March sued his administration over restarting a Santa Barbara oil pipeline under the Defense Production Act.

Insights

With its authority already cut by state courts, can California's Coastal Commission survive this new federal review?
Is the federal review of California's coast a unique case, or a new model for national resource management?