Jerry Brown (D) has signed legislation aimed at blocking the Trump administration’s plan to open offshore waters to new oil and gas drilling. Though the federal government could still allow drilling in federal waters, California could effectively block the oil and gas from getting to its coast for transportation to buyers. The legislation also requires public notice and a more demanding process for any extensions or renewals of existing construction leases linked to offshore gas and oil. Brown also submitted the state’s formal opposition to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s proposal to open public land for oil and gas development. Zinke announced in January that he planned to open nearly 1.7 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf to new offshore oil and gas drilling operations.

Source: Huffington Post September 10, 2018 10:30 UTC