Trump blasts Californias environmental extremism as probe launched into states war on offshore oil

The Trump administration is taking aim at what it calls California’s environmental “extremism,” launching a new review of the state’s powerful coastal regulators as a high-stakes fight over offshore oil drilling heats up.In a public notice filed Friday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ordered a review of the California Coastal Commission, the California Coastal Conservancy and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.The move puts California’s influential coastline watchdogs under fresh federal scrutiny.According to the notice, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is responsible for “approving and overseeing state coastal management programs, including that of the California Coastal Commission.”“Obstructionist policies that delay critical national infrastructure in the name of environmental extremism are unacceptable,” Lutnick said in a press release.“NOAA will conduct its reviews consistent with the plain text of the [Coastal Zone Management Act] CZMA, ensuring states give proper weight to economic development and the nation’s priorities.”The review will examine whether California’s coastal regulators “have addressed—or failed to address—compatible economic development,” including “offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects, undersea cables, and other key priorities of national importance,” according to the announcement.Environmentalists in the state slammed the review and are freaking out about it.It is “a clear attempt by the Trump administration to target one of California’s most effective tools for protecting its iconic coastline,” the nonprofit, Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement.“This unnecessary review sends a clear message to California and other coastal states: challenge the administration’s priorities, and your coastal management program may become the next target,” Stephanie Altman-with the group-added.Mark Lubell, an envir...