Stop Corporate Polluters from Sacrificing California Communities & Public Lands for Profits

When the Trump Administration's proposals neglect to protect public lands, it's up to our communities to step up to the plate and fight for these ecosystems -- and the stakes could not be larger for California.

Right now, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is updating key Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that will determine the fate of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands across central California -- from deserts to mountains and along the Central Coast.

These updates could open the door to expanded oil and gas development, including proposed drilling, near the beloved lands, such as:

Carrizo Plain National Monument
Pinnacles National Park
Mount Diablo State Park
Henry W. Coe State Park, and
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve

These landscapes are central to California's rich cultural heritage, wildlife, and outdoor recreation economy, and the proposed plans may determine whether these lands will be properly protected from oil and gas drilling.

This is part of a broader push to roll back safeguards and prioritize extractive industries over clean water, wildlife, Tribal cultural areas, recreation, and climate resilience.

But unless Californians speak up, the BLM could move forward with plans that put short-term industry profits ahead of long-term public benefit.

Don't let the Trump Administration hand over more public lands to oil and gas corporations! Submit your official public comment by March 13 and tell the BLM to:

Protect intact public lands and wildlife habitat
Reject expanded oil and gas drilling
Honor Tribal sovereignty and cultural landscapes
Prioritize access to the outdoors, clean air and water, and climate resilience

If you want to make your comment extra effective, be sure to add what these lands mean to you.

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Choose Public Lands and Health over Profits -- No Drilling on Public Lands!

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Dear Bureau of Land Management, I urge you to amend and withdraw your proposals that would allow oil and gas drilling on approximately 1 million acres of public lands in California. The supplemental environmental impact statements for Bakersfield (DOI-BLM-CA-C060-2025-0053-EIS) and the Central Coast (DOI-BLM-CA-C090-2025-0017-EIS) contain a woefully inadequate analysis of the egregious impacts that would have on communities and public lands alike. Both plans must be redone, dismissed, or delayed for further analysis. These lands belong to the American people. They provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and access to outdoor recreation for millions of Californians. From desert ecosystems and grasslands to important headwaters and community recreation areas, our public lands should be stewarded for conservation, climate resilience, and public access - not sacrificed for expanded fossil fuel extraction. At a time when Californians are already facing the escalating impacts of climate change - extreme heat, drought, wildfire, and poor air quality - expanding fossil fuel development on shared public lands moved us in the wrong direction. Our public lands are and should remain a refuge from these threats, and I am extremely concerned about the harm additional drilling will cause to both our lands and our residents. The proposal also ignores the pretext of legal safeguards. State law requires a 3,200 ft setback between oil and gas operations and community hubs where people live, reside, and recreate. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been banned statewide due to documented risks to water quality and public health. These protections were enacted to safeguard communities and must be fully respected in any federal leasing or development decisions. Public lands are held in trust for future generations. They are places where families hike, hunters and anglers access wildlife habitat, Tribal nations maintain cultural connections, and local economies depend on recreation and tourism. Oil and gas development threatens to fragment landscapes, restrict access, degrade scenic values, and undermine the very purposes for which these lands are managed. We urge you to: Withdraw or substantially amend these proposals; Fully account for the cumulative climate, health, and environmental harms of new drilling; Ensure compliance with state law protections; Ensure wilderness-quality lands, Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and other sensitive areas, as well as areas adjacent to national parks, national monuments, and state parks are safeguarded from drilling impacts; And guarantee meaningful public participation, including in-person community meetings in every affected county. Californians deserve public lands that are protected, accessible, and managed for long-term public benefit - not short-term private profit.

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