Padilla and Huffman’s West Coast Ocean Protection Act would permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington.
Occurrences
Evidence
On February 25, 2026, Senator Alex Padilla, along with other California lawmakers, sent a letter to President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, condemning the administration's plan to develop new offshore oil and gas leases in the Southern and Central California Outer Continental Shelf planning areas. They urged the administration to extend the public comment period by 90 days to allow for comprehensive feedback from stakeholders.
On March 14, 2026, Senator Padilla condemned the Trump administration's directive to Sable Offshore Corp. to restore long-closed oil operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Pipeline System along California's coastline. He stated that Californians have repeatedly rejected offshore drilling and vowed to fight the administration's efforts to exploit the crisis for the benefit of the oil industry.
On December 4, 2025, Senator Padilla and Representative Huffman led 26 members of the California Democratic Congressional delegation in condemning the Trump administration's draft 2027-2032 Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, which included six lease proposals off the coast of California. They emphasized the potential environmental and economic risks and urged the administration to abandon the proposals.
On April 22, 2025, Senator Padilla, along with Senators Booker and Reed, introduced the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, aiming to permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. This legislation was part of a broader effort to protect coastal communities and ecosystems from the dangers of fossil fuel drilling.
On November 20, 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to open new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades. This proposal faced bipartisan opposition due to concerns about potential harm to coastal communities and ecosystems.
On October 25, 2021, following a significant oil spill off the coast of Orange County, federal lawmakers, including Senator Padilla, demanded more information from federal agencies to determine if regulatory failings contributed to the incident. They also advocated for legislative action to ban future offshore drilling.
On February 24, 2026, Representative Salud Carbajal, along with Senators Padilla and Schiff and 31 other California lawmakers, sent a letter opposing the inclusion of the Southern and Central California Outer Continental Shelf planning areas in the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's current leasing process. They urged the Trump administration to abandon the proposal.
On February 17, 2021, Senators Cantwell and Murray introduced legislation to permanently ban offshore drilling on the West Coast to protect coastal communities, economies, and ecosystems. The bill was co-sponsored by Senators Feinstein, Padilla, Wyden, Merkley, Menendez, Booker, Markey, Sanders, and Gillibrand.
Congress.gov lists S.1432, sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla, with the official purpose of amending the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently prohibit oil and gas exploration, development, and production off California, Oregon, and Washington. The bill’s latest action is referral to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on April 10, 2025, and its status remains Introduced.
The introduced text states the bill would permanently bar new oil and gas leasing, exploration, development, and production on the outer continental shelf off California, Oregon, and Washington.
Padilla’s office said the West Coast Ocean Protection Act would permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off California, Oregon, and Washington.
Padilla and other California lawmakers opposed the administration’s offshore leasing plan and asked for a longer comment period. The letter shows continued effort to block new leasing, not enactment of a permanent prohibition.
Padilla said Californians had repeatedly rejected dangerous drilling off the coast and vowed to keep fighting efforts to expand oil operations along California’s shoreline.
BOEM says the 30-day comment period on its California offshore oil and gas leasing PEIS closed on March 30, 2026, and that it will now analyze comments as it assesses next steps for the 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The page also says BOEM issued Calls for Information and Nominations on Jan. 26, 2026 for potential lease sales in Central and Southern California, and that those calls were the first step in the leasing process.
Congress.gov lists S.1432, sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla, with the status 'Introduced' and latest action 'Referral to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee' on April 10, 2025.
Assessments
The promised permanent prohibition on new offshore oil and gas leasing off California, Oregon, and Washington has not been enacted. Padilla sponsored S.1432, the West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025, which directly matched the promise, and he continued opposing offshore leasing proposals through letters and public statements. However, the bill remained introduced and referred to committee, and BOEM records show federal leasing activity was still under consideration rather than permanently barred. This is a serious legislative and advocacy effort, but not delivery of the promised outcome.
The promised outcome was a permanent federal prohibition on new offshore oil and gas leases off California, Oregon, and Washington. Padilla sponsored and promoted S.1432, the West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2025, which directly matched the promise, and he continued opposing offshore drilling plans. But the evidence shows the bill remained only introduced and referred to committee, with no permanent ban enacted. Because he made a serious legislative attempt but the promised policy was not delivered, this is a failed promise with effort credit.
Senator Padilla made multiple legislative and executive attempts to permanently prohibit new oil and gas leases for offshore drilling off the West Coast, including introducing and co-sponsoring relevant bills and leading opposition to federal leasing proposals. However, despite these efforts, no permanent prohibition became law during the term, and new leasing proposals by the federal administration moved forward. Therefore, the promise was not delivered, but significant effort is clearly documented.