Published March 5, 2026
BY SOPHIE CANAN
The federal administration announced in November that new offshore drilling leases off the coast of California, the first new locations since 1989, will be operational starting in 2027, raising concerns among environmentalists about the detrimental effects drilling could have on local sea life in Central California.
Although the construction and operation of new platforms will keep the U.S. oil industry running, Dr. John Hunt, a science adviser for the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, expresses concern for what these new platforms could mean for local sea life and ecosystems.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the most disastrous spill, was caused by human error on an offshore drilling platform. Courtesy of FLICKR
“Offshore oil drilling greatly increases the rate at which oil is extracted from the sea floor,” Hunt says. “This can overwhelm the ability of marine life to escape or adapt.”
Hunt explains that oil spills can occur with human error, and as oil drilling platforms are highly complex and require a lot of moving parts to operate, there is always a chance that spills can occur, especially in stormy, high wind conditions like those in Monterey.
Referencing the most disastrous spill to date, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Hunt emphasizes how the explosion of this offshore drilling platform was due to human error and caused an immense amount of environmental damage.
“This is definitely a concern since in Central California, we have more marine birds and mammals than there are in southern California, where there is currently offshore drilling,” says Laird Henkel, an environmental scientist supervisor at the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz. “If there were a spill in Central California, it could be worse than in Southern California.”
Even when dispersants are applied, large oil spills like this can be difficult to clean and cause significant damage. Courtesy of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Henkel explains that marine birds and mammals are the most impacted by oil spills, since oil tends to stay at the surface of the ocean. Oil can affect their ability to insulate themselves, as well as hindering seabirds’ ability to fly.
The dispersants that are often applied to clean up oil spills only break down the oil and encourage it to sink, which Hunt explains can affect organisms below the surface.
“Dissolved oil and tiny pieces contain many toxic chemicals,” said Hunt. “These compounds are carcinogens, mutagens and acute toxins, posing significant hazards to marine life and human health through ingestion or respiration.”
These harmful chemicals can impact more than just individual animals, they can also impact entire ecosystems in central California. Jennifer Kemmerly, the vice president of Global Ocean Conservation at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, explains that along with causing animal death, oil spills can destroy entire food sources.
Oil can impact marine birds’ ability to fly and insulate themselves, causing fatal hypothermia. Courtesy of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
“Food sources being destroyed can cause a trickle-down effect, which we have seen in the past,” Kemmerly said.
Oil can also affect the reproductive abilities of animals as well as fish eggs and larvae, often causing issues that lead to eggs that do not hatch. The impact on eggs also creates issues for future generations of animals, not just current sea life.
Because of the destructive impacts that future oil drilling platforms could have on the local ecosystems, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has been closely monitoring the federal administration’s plans for offshore drilling.
In response to the released plans of offshore drilling platforms along the West Coast, the aquarium has partnered with organizations across the coast to create a Blue Wall, which offers an opportunity for people to comment on offshore drilling leases. More information on this can be found on the Save Our Shores website.
“We’re responding and mobilizing people to use their voice,” Kemmerly describes. “A Blue Wall is what we can do at the state level to prevent more offshore drilling.”
By taking actions like co-hosting a town hall to educate the community and informing people of how they can speak up about these new leases, the aquarium hopes to stop these leases from becoming operational before oil spills can have the opportunity to occur.
However, if they are unable to prevent these new platforms from opening up, organizations across the West Coast have been working to create plans to respond to oil spills before they can cause harm to marine life.
Using simulations based on federal government data that can predict where oil spills will be most impactful, as well as closely monitoring drilling platforms, response to oil spills can be faster and possibly limit the environmental damage.
“Having these tools at the ready are important in case there is an emergency,” says Kemmerly. “We have to be prepared for when these mishaps happen because human error is inevitable.”
From harming animals to destroying ecosystems, future oil spills can cause immense damage to the environment.
