On June 4, 2025, the Assembly passed AB 1448, which expands the prohibition on offshore oil drilling to also prohibit the use of existing oil infrastructure to expand federal oil production. The bill is intended to prevent the expansion of oil drilling in federal waters through existing infrastructure in state waters. The law is primarily aimed at stopping Sable Offshore Corp., the only company trying to use existing platforms for oil production.
Under current law, the California State Lands Commission or a local trustee is prohibited from entering into any new lease or other conveyance that authorizes new construction of oil- and gas-related infrastructure on tidelands and submerged lands within state waters associated with Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leases issued after January 1, 2018.
AB 1448 would prohibit the California State Lands Commission from approving new leases that would expand the construction of oil- and gas-related infrastructure. It also prohibits the Lands Commission from making revisions to existing leases for that purpose.
The bill would the Office of the State Fire Marshal to certify all pipelines used to transport oil and would require the “best available technology” standard for onshore pipelines that transport oil to processing and refining facilities.
Supporters of the bill argue that the Trump administration will try to expand offshore drilling along the Pacific Coast. In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling in federal waters.
Sable, meanwhile, has opposed the bill, stating that it would “impact existing facilities with longheld leases and rights that are currently operating or working to reopen through an established and robust multi-agency regulatory framework.”
Sable argues that the law “is designed to do one thing - prevent the repair and restart of critical oil production facilities both offshore and onshore in Santa Barbara County. Halting this planned restart of Sable′s Santa Ynez Unit and Las Flores Pipeline System would have serious implications for the region and California at large.″