California Attorney General Rob Bonta formally opposed a federal environmental review that could authorize offshore hydraulic fracturing at Platform Gilda, arguing that the process violates federal law and longstanding court orders.
In a March 30, 2026 comment letter to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the state challenges both the substance and structure of the agency’s planned environmental impact statement (EIS), which is being conducted under expedited procedures tied to a declared national energy emergency.
In March, BOEM initiated a fast-tracked environmental review to evaluate a proposal to authorize well stimulation treatments, including fracking, across existing wells on Platform Gilda in the Santa Barbara Channel.