Offshore Bill Barely Passes Key Senate Committee

In a razor-thin 4–3 vote last week, the California State Senate’s Natural Resources and Water Committee advanced Assembly Bill 1448 (Hart), which is a deeply flawed measure. It moves California backwards by tightening restrictions on offshore oil production while doing nothing to curb growing dependence on dangerous and dirty foreign crude.

CIPA helped lead the opposition to the bill in committee, with Vice President of Government Affairs Sean Wallentine delivering testimony before the committee, warning that “shutting down California production doesn’t shut down demand, it simply means refineries have to go to the Amazon Rainforest to replace that barrel of oil.”

He added: “Make no mistake, this is a pro-offshore oil bill insofar as it invites hundreds more supertankers into our coastal waters and greatly increases the chances of a massive and devastating oil spill.”

Despite those warnings, the bill passed with the bare minimum support:

Ayes (4) – Senators Ben Allen, John Laird, Monique Limón, and Henry Stern (all Democrats)

Noes (3) – Senator Melissa Hurtado (Democrat) and Senators Shannon Grove and Kelly Seyarto (Republicans)

The bill now moves to its next stop: the Senate Governmental Organization Committee, where CIPA and industry allies will continue the fight.

AB 1448 expands state authority over existing offshore oil and gas infrastructure by redefining routine maintenance, lease renewals, and even equipment repairs as "new development," triggering new Coastal Development Permits and public votes, regardless of prior approvals. The bill would:

• Subject lease assignments, routine, non-physical transactions, to expanded state scrutiny and delay.

• Prohibit restarting any pipeline or facility that has been idle for more than three years without a new coastal permit.

• Classify standard maintenance practices like well stimulation and enhanced recovery as “expansion,” effectively halting their use.

As outlined in a coalition letter co-signed by CIPA and WSPA, the bill “captures routine, safe, and previously permitted activities under the banner of ‘expansion,’” creating operational uncertainty and disincentivizing investment in infrastructure that still serves California’s energy needs.

The consequences are simple and stark: less California oil means more foreign oil. As Wallentine explained, “We are importing more oil from overseas than ever before, where environmental standards are often non-existent, labor conditions are exploitative, and super-polluting supertankers bring that dirty oil here… boats are far riskier than fixed oil platforms.”

Today, over 75% of California’s crude oil supply is imported. AB 1448 worsens that trend penalizing local, environmentally regulated production while handing a market edge to countries with abysmal environmental track records.

It’s a choice between oil produced under California’s strict laws and workforce protections or oil imported from authoritarian regimes and ecologically devastated zones like the Amazon Rainforest.

CIPA’s testimony reminded lawmakers of a simple truth: “Refineries can’t pivot to new fuels overnight. If we don’t supply them with local oil, they won’t survive long enough to adapt.”

The bill further endangers the viability of California refineries that are already struggling to source compatible crude. Refineries are built and optimized for specific feedstocks, much of it from local basins. Without that feedstock, facilities face shutdown, reducing supply and driving up prices for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel across the state.

If passed, AB 1448 will lead to:

• Higher gas prices

• Fewer California energy jobs

• Reduced refinery reliability

• Greater environmental risk via imported crude

  
  

CIPA will continue rallying support and exposing the hypocrisy of a bill that purports to protect the coast while opening the door to even more oil tankers navigating those same waters.