Homeowners across California’s Central Coast, which includes wealthy coastal enclaves like Santa Barbara, are furiously opposing plans to expand oil drilling as gas prices in hit record highs.
The Trump administration wants to open up at another 850,000 acres for oil and gas development from the coast to inland areas, arguing it could boost domestic supply and ease pressure at the pump. The average price of homes on the Central Coast is $1.04 million, according to Realtor
But the drilling push has sparked fierce backlash from residents and environmental activists who fear wells could creep closer to homes, schools and hospitals.
California’s gas prices are the highest in the nation, hitting an average of $5.93 a gallon on Monday, compared to the national average of $4.11.
The state has been hit harder than most because of environmental policies that limit in-state production and discourage investment.
Diesel in San Francisco hit $8 per gallon, the highest price everv recorded in any U.S. city.
More than 175,000 public comments have already been filed opposing the plan, according to conservation group ForestWatch.
At the center of the clash is a 2022 state law, which went into effect in 2024, that creates 3,200-foot ”Health Protection Zones” around homes, schools and hospitals, effectively blocking new wells across large swaths of the state.
Federal officials at the Bureau of Land Management have tried to override the restrictions, insisting expanded drilling would have no significant environmental impact and could help relieve California’s tight fuel supply.
But a federal court last week rejected the bureau’s bid to pause the law, leaving the protections in place as the legal fight continues.
Environmental groups, many of which mobilized against the expansion, hailed the decision as a major victory.
“This is an important moment for our health and safety, which is under threat from the Trump administration, and we applaud the court for keeping this important protection in place,” Tomás Rebecchi, Central Coast organizing manager at Food & Water Watch, said.
Critics warn drilling could threaten nearby communities across the region.
“Oil and gas activity doesn’t immediately stay within these lease boundaries,” Caitlyn Bynum of San Benito County said at a bureau hearing.
“Our rural hospital is on the verge of closing. Anything that would happen as a result of oil and gas coming would profoundly impact the health of our residents, and we don’t have the healthcare to support them and to treat their chronic illnesses.”
The push comes as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to ”unleash American energy” amid global supply pressures tied to tensions with Iran.
Supporters of drilling argue opening federal land could help ease the bottleneck and warn the state law is deterring investment.
The law is ”an attack on the 600,000 oil and gas royalty owners in California,” Ed Hazard of the National Association of Royalty Owners said at a January news conference.
”If the state can take one kind of property without compensation, it can target others.”
California Democrats remain opposed to expanded drilling, despite soaring gas prices.
”Like in many prior attempts, this Administration is again failing to adequately consider the environmental impacts of drilling,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said last month.
”Our message has always been clear: California’s ecosystems are not playgrounds for the rich.”