Dear BLM CA Director Stout,

We, the undersigned elected officials in California, write to express our strongest opposition to any new oil and gas lease sales on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands within the Central Coast Field Office and Bakersfield Field Office jurisdictions. This is a matter of statewide and national consequence, regardless of political affiliation.

Expanded oil and gas leasing poses risks to the health and livelihoods of our constituents, jeopardizes our tourism, and recreation economies, and threatens the wildlife that inhabits our lands. Our opposition to this proposal is grounded in the urgent need to protect environmental justice, safeguard public health and air quality, conserve our natural landscapes, and address the climate crisis.

In July 2025, the BLM announced it will review land management plans for more than 1 million acres of public lands, including mineral rights, from the San Joaquin Valley to the San Francisco Bay, with new environmental reviews that could enable new oil and gas drilling on BLM lands. Secretary’s Order 3418, “Unleashing American Energy,” emphasizes development of oil, gas, coal, strategic minerals, and alternative energy resources on public lands.

Oil and gas development on BLM lands would disproportionately impact frontline communities, many of which are already overburdened by pollution and environmental hazards. Communities adjacent to existing drilling operations—particularly low-income communities and communities of color in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast regions—experience elevated exposure to toxic air emissions, increased truck traffic, and contaminated water sources. New leasing perpetuates these environmental injustices and violates California’s commitment to equitable environmental protection under state law and policy.

The Central Coast and Bakersfield regions already face significant air quality challenges. Oil and gas extraction contributes to emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and methane—all of which degrade air quality and pose serious health risks including asthma, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Expanding fossil fuel infrastructure on public lands will further compromise the health of nearby residents and undermine California’s efforts to meet state and federal air quality standards.

California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM)’s 2024 report, “Public Health Dimensions of Upstream Oil and Gas Development in California” found that more than 72 peer-reviewed studies indicate “that populations residing closer to upstream oil and gas development experience a greater risk of decreased respiratory function and adverse perinatal outcomes.  Higher density of upstream oil and gas development…is associated with greater respiratory and perinatal health risks.” Additionally, the report found that six peer-reviewed studies in California “observed associations between upstream oil and gas development and diagnosed asthma, reduced lung function, and reduced fetal growth.” 

BLM lands in California encompass irreplaceable natural resources, including critical wildlife habitat, sensitive desert and grassland ecosystems, cultural sites, and recreational areas valued by communities across the state. Oil and gas development fragments habitat, degrades soil and water resources, and introduces industrial infrastructure incompatible with conservation goals. These public lands belong to all Californians and should be managed for their ecological, cultural, and recreational values—not sacrificed for extractive industries.

California has set ambitious climate targets, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions 85% below 1990 levels by 2045. New oil and gas leasing on federal lands directly undermines these goals by locking in decades of additional fossil fuel production and associated emissions. Scientists agree that limiting global warming requires an immediate transition away from fossil fuel extraction.  Expanding drilling on public lands is fundamentally incompatible with climate action and California’s leadership on this issue. 

Expanding drilling on BLM lands would not address energy affordability while imposing significant environmental and health costs on California communities. Proponents of expanded drilling have suggested that increased oil and gas production in California would lower gasoline prices for consumers. This claim is not supported by economic evidence. Increased local drilling would not meaningfully reduce prices at the pump. 

California law and policy consistently prioritize environmental protection, climate action, and environmental justice. Since BLM’s last round of land management planning, the state has banned fracking and passed a landmark health buffer zone law to end neighborhood oil drilling (SB 1137). Additionally, numerous California local governments have adopted policies opposing new fossil fuel development. The BLM must give due consideration to the laws, policies, and priorities of affected states and communities, as required under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). To date, BLM planning documents do not do so.

For the reasons outlined above, we urge you to oppose opening any BLM lands managed by the Central Coast Field Office and Bakersfield Field Office to new oil and gas leases. These lands should be managed in a manner that protects public health, advances environmental justice, conserves natural resources, and supports California’s climate commitments.

We therefore urge you to amend the Resource Management Plans for the Central Coast and Bakersfield Field Offices in order to:

1. Halt any steps toward new oil and gas leasing on BLM lands in California
2. Limit BLM land drilling in California 

We look forward to your prompt response detailing what specific steps the Administration will take to halt any new oil and gas leases and recommit to safeguarding our public lands, our economy, and shared future. We stand ready to work with you to ensure that California’s public lands are protected for current and future generations.

Sincerely,

CC: 

The Honorable Doug Burgum, U.S. Department of the Interior
Acting Director Bill Groffy, Bureau of Land Management

California Governor Gavin Newsom
California Legislative Leadership