Laura Deehan
State Director, Environment California
[email protected]
Statement: Newest marine sanctuary announced along California’s coast
Media Contacts
SAN FRANCISCO — California’s central coast is slated to receive permanent protections from oil and gas drilling in the coming months. On Thursday, President Joe Biden’s administration announced the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The proposed sanctuary is set to become the nation’s third largest stretch of federally protected waters. This announcement marks one of the final steps to designate the sanctuary, which was proposed by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council.
Once designated, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will protect 116 miles of the Central coast from oil and gas drilling, and provide additional funding for science and research in the region. The area includes a confluence of major ocean currents and is a feeding ground for marine life migrating along the Pacific coast.
In the most recent round of public feedback on the proposal, the Sanctuary received over 100,000 supportive comments, including a letter from 181 scientists. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must wait 30 days after publication of the FEIS before it can release a final decision on sanctuary designation.
In response, Environment California State Director Laura Deehan released the following statement:
“The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will formally recognise what visitors and residents have long known: this winding stretch of California’s coastline is a true natural treasure, home to sea otters, whales, sea turtles and a wide array of ocean life.
“This designation will forever protect these special waters from oil and gas drilling and create the staging ground for valuable science that can help us understand our ocean in a changing climate. Thank you to the Biden administration for taking action to protect more nature, and toViolet Sage-Walker and the Northern Chumash Tribal Council for their leadership in the decades-long effort to protect this amazing place.”
