Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act

This bill, known as the "Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act," seeks to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Its central provision is to permanently prohibit the Secretary from issuing any new leases or authorizations for the exploration, development, or production of oil and natural gas. This ban would specifically apply to the Southern California Planning Area , as defined by the 2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Final Program. The legislation aims to safeguard the Southern California coast and ocean by preventing future offshore fossil fuel extraction activities in that designated region.