Trump administration to probe California’s powerful coastal watchdog
The Trump administration is planning a review of the powerful California Coastal Commission and other state regulatory agencies that deal with the state’s shoreline, saying they’re likely out of compliance with the nation’s coastal management laws — an assertion critics say is merely a pretense to weaken their authority. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick directed the review in a recent letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He alleged that California regulators were making decisions about development and other activities without giving due consideration to military plans and possibly many other federal interests, including offshore oil and gas drilling. … [T]he administration is opening the door to changing how much say the state has over federal and federally licensed projects — from dredging harbors to developing wind farms in the ocean to building undersea pipelines.
