Senator Dave Min’s Bill to Terminate Offshore Oil Drilling Passes First Major Legislative Hurdle

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Earlier this week, Dave Min’s Senate Bill (SB) 559, which would require the California State Lands Commission to take immediate steps to terminate the remaining leases for offshore oil drilling in California state waters, passed out of its first legislative committee. SB 559 received a 7-3 vote in the State Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, which is chaired by Senator Min.

“As the 2021 oil spill off the coast of Orange County starkly illustrated (as did the 2015 Refugio Beach oil spill), offshore drilling poses a clear and immediate threat to our beautiful beaches and our vibrant $44 billion a year coastal economy,” said Senator Min. “These offshore oil rigs, which were built between the 1960s and 1980s, are long past their shelf life, and the wildcat oil companies that now operate these rigs have no incentives to invest meaningfully in their safety and soundness. We simply cannot afford to have more oil spills, and SB 559 provides an immediate pathway towards shutting these offshore oil platforms down. Thank you to my colleagues in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee for their support of SB 559.”

"This bill is critical to warding off more devastating spills from the oil industry's decrepit, corroding infrastructure,” said Brady Bradshaw, oceans campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Offshore drilling is a public nuisance that’s already done horrific damage to our beautiful coastline, wildlife and the vital coastal economy. We have to ensure that companies pay promptly to clean up their own pollution rather than dumping their toxic messes on Californians.”

Senator Min first introduced a version of this bill in 2022, which was held in the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He reintroduced the bill last year, and held it while the Lands Commission worked on its study of the potential costs of shutting down and decommissioning these platforms. With an update of that study now in hand, SB 559 would require the State Lands Commission to finalize negotiations for voluntary relinquishment of oil and gas leases. If an agreement is not made by December 31, 2026, the bill requires the Commission to terminate the leases and pay fair compensation if warranted.

California has three remaining oil platforms in operation off the Coast of Orange County, Eva, Emmy, and Ester. All three platforms were constructed between 1963 and 1985, and have lasted decades beyond their intended lifespans.

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