Pelosi Joins California Lawmakers in Push to End Politically Motivated Attack on California’s Ability to Protect Coastline

Washington, D.C. — Today, Speaker Emerita Pelosi joined Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and 30 of her California colleagues in condemning the administration’s recent decision to initiate a formal review of California’s coastal management program under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) — emphasizing their ideologically driven intent to trample on states’ rights and jeopardize California’s shoreline.

“This extraordinary federal review which singles out California is based upon a thinly veiled and non-evidential argument. It is an attempt to curb our state’s federally approved authority to evaluate offshore energy, infrastructure, and commercial activities. We ask that if you proceed with this review, you commit to respecting states’ rights and cooperative federalism as is consistent with the CZMA,” the lawmakers wrote in a new letter to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Neil Jacobs.

The CZMA authorizes California’s ability to preserve and manage its coastline – giving the state the power to review and approve of projects impacting the coastal zone in coordination with the federal government. For 50 years, California and NOAA have successfully worked together to mitigate the effects of coastal projects on California’s coastal ecosystems and economy.

The lawmakers rebut U.S. Department of Commerce’s Howard Lutnick’s claim that “California has repeatedly obstructed spaceport development in bad faith,” and that California’s objections were “unfounded.”  

“Complementing this strong record is the reality that California is the world’s fourth largest economy, home to Silicon Valley, 400 unicorn startups, unmatched high-tech enterprise, world-renowned research institutions. California’s global leadership in research and innovation supports a coastal economy that attracts visitors and entrepreneurs from all over the world and positions us as the nation’s leading agricultural state. California contributes nearly $700 billion to the federal government, which is $83 billion more than it receives. Each dollar invested in California’s coastal management creates important returns for the rest of the United States. Simply put, far from obstructing innovation and economic development, California’s success subsidizes the success of the nation,” the lawmakers continued.

“If NOAA chooses to proceed with its review under these patently misinformed and unreasonable circumstances and decides California should no longer manage a coastal zone program, the State will lose the ability to collaborate with the federal government on effective and responsible project development, to offer meaningful mitigation measures for coastal development projects, or to access federal financial opportunities that support the protection and security of America’s Pacific Coast...Both California and NOAA should share a strong interest in ensuring federal projects in America’s coastal areas have minimal impacts on the environment and fisheries, promote responsible economic development, and guarantee national security,” the lawmakers concluded.

The full text of the letter can be found here.