The Trump administration has announced plans to evaluate the performance of the California Coastal Commission, marking the latest escalation in a dispute between the state's Democratic leaders and the federal government over energy production.
Commerce Department cites 'environmental terrorism'
Per federal law, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is required to conduct reviews of federally approved coastal management programs. These reviews consider 'the extent to which the State of California has implemented and enforced the program approved by the [commerce] Secretary.'
In May, the US Department of Commerce posted a letter from Secretary Howard Lutnick, who called for the evaluation and accused California of 'environmental terrorism,' stating the Golden State had obstructed spaceport developments. The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on which specific spaceport proposals Lutnick referenced.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has not yet commented on the evaluation.
SpaceX and Space Force disputes
Last August, the California Coastal Commission declined to grant a US Space Force request to increase the number of SpaceX rockets that could be launched from a base on California's central coast. Elon Musk's aerospace company later sued the agency for political bias, a lawsuit that was settled in April.
Oil production conflicts
California has also been at odds with the Trump administration over oil production. Democrats in the state have touted a commitment to renewable energy, aiming for a carbon-neutral electrical grid by 2045. However, as gas prices skyrocket following the US-Israel war with Iran, the Trump administration has doubled down on domestic oil production, including in California.
The administration invoked emergency powers to bring an oil pipeline back online, which had been shuttered for over a decade after rupturing in 2015, spilling over 140,000 gallons of crude oil into the ocean. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has sought to block the plan.
'Let's be clear: this illegal attempt from the Trump administration lets Sable profit at the expense of our environment and public health,' Bonta said in a May news release, adding that the federal government was interfering with the state's 'sovereign authority.'
Offshore wind project nixed
The state is also embroiled in a legal dispute over a canceled offshore wind project. California has significant potential for clean energy from strong winds off its coast, with a goal to develop 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2045. The US Department of Transportation dealt a blow to those plans by withdrawing a nearly $427 million Biden-era grant for a proposed project that would have produced electricity for 25 million homes.
Last week, Bonta sent the Trump administration a notice of intent to sue. 'California won't stand idly by as the Trump Administration illegally strikes deals to kill offshore wind projects and replace them with more windfalls for his fossil fuel friends,' he said in a statement.
