Habitat Committee urges concise objection to West Coast oil and gas leasing; council directs quick‑response letter

The Pacific Fishery Management Council's Habitat Committee on March 7 recommended that the council reiterate opposition to new oil and gas leasing along the U.S. West Coast and asked the council to prefer concise objection letters rather than long technical responses amid truncated BOEM comment periods.

Dr. Scott Hapelle, chair of the Habitat Committee, summarized actions on multiple habitat items including a draft supplemental EIS for Hells Canyon hydropower, a notice of availability for BOEM's draft program, and BOEM's subsequent call for information and nominations designating Central and Southern California planning areas. He said the committee submitted a comment letter opposing any new offshore leasing along the West Coast and suggested a short, strong objection would be most effective given compressed timelines.

Council members discussed whether to prepare short objection letters or develop more technical, joint letters with the Marine Planning Committee. Several members, including John North and others, said a concise regional objection—similar to letters from West Coast governors and state natural resource agencies—would send a unified message without overtaxing committee resources. Other members urged continued coordination with the MPC and requested the council hear the MPC's view before finalizing language.

The council directed council staff to draft a quick‑response objection to BOEM's programmatic EIS process for California planning areas and to route it through the council's quick‑response process. Members emphasized the letters should reiterate past opposition to West Coast leasing and note the region's high ecological, cultural and economic value.

Why it matters: BOEM indicated it may proceed rapidly to a final programmatic EIS for California planning areas without a standard draft; the Habitat Committee and council want to ensure the council's opposition is recorded quickly and consistently.

Next steps: Council staff will prepare a short objection letter under the quick‑response process and coordinate with the MPC and other advisory bodies for possible technical appendices as time permits.