Press Releases

U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) released the statement below following the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opening a 30-day public scoping period to receive public input on potential oil and gas lease sales across California, including in San Luis Obispo County.

“The Trump administration continues to favor Big Oil at the expense of our environment and public health. While this 30-day public scoping period does not mean new oil wells will spring up tomorrow, it represents yet another reckless step toward handing public lands over to the oil industry. Californians have been clear from the start: we do not want any more oil drilling on public lands – especially areas close to our state’s natural treasures such as the Carrizo Plain National Monument. 

“The administration claims expanding oil drilling is necessary for California's energy security, yet just last month it blocked a wind energy project in Morro Bay that would have provided the state with a new source of clean power. These actions reveal a pattern of favoritism toward Big Oil rather than any genuine commitment to California’s long‑term energy needs. 

“I remain strongly opposed to the Bureau of Land Management’s actions and will continue working with state and local partners to stop any attempt to build new oil wells on our public lands.”

Carbajal has long opposed the expansion of oil and gas drilling in California. 

In August 2025, Carbajal reintroduced his Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which would designate approximately 250,000 acres of public land in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument as wilderness, the highest form of federal protection available. A wilderness designation would protect the land from future oil or gas drilling.

In April 2026, Carbajal asked the BLM to continue the pre-existing moratorium on new oil and gas leases, citing the environmental, economic, and public health risks that new drilling could pose to California communities in response to BLM’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), released on January 12, 2026. 

Last year, Carbajal announced the reintroduction of the California Clean Coast Act. The California Clean Coast Act was the first bill Congressman Carbajal introduced as a Member of Congress, demonstrating his longstanding commitment to protecting California’s coast from offshore drilling and the devastating impact of oil spills.