Our Ocean, Our Say: Time to Speak Up on Offshore Drilling

The ocean is not just a government property. It belongs to all of us. The current administration might want to open up over 85% of the outer continental shelf for oil and gas drilling. But before they do, we have a chance to say something about it. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is giving us until Friday to comment on their proposal. This is not just a formality. They have to listen to us. They have to respond to our comments before they can sell our coastline to oil companies. This is not the first time they have tried this. In 2018, they tried to open up most of the 1. 7 billion acres of the outer continental shelf. They got over 2 million comments. Most people, from different backgrounds and political parties, said no to new drilling. That stopped the proposal for eight years.Now, they are back with a new proposal. This time, it's 1. 3 billion acres. It includes six new areas off the coast of California. There are already 30 active leases off Southern California. But the last new lease was approved in 1984. A lot has changed since then. We have seen the impacts of drilling. In the last 10 years, there have been oil spills that hurt wildlife and local economies. We feel the effects of climate change more than ever. We see king tides flooding our streets. Scientists study how marine heat waves affect our kelp forests. We know more about the ocean now. We have better technology for renewable energy. We can do better than we did in 1984. We should not tie ourselves to future oil spills and climate change impacts. The county and city of San Diego have already said no to new drilling. Now, it's your turn. You have until Friday to comment. Go to regulations. gov/document/BOEM-2025-0483-0001 and make your voice heard.