Marin County Supervisor Dennis Rodoni told federal officials on Monday, Aug. 10, that their extraordinary review of California's coastal protections threatens state and local control over the county's 110 miles of shoreline, including Point Reyes National Seashore and beaches from Stinson Beach to Dillon Beach.

Rodoni, who represents Marin's Pacific coast communities as the District 4 supervisor and serves as an alternate coastal commissioner, spoke on behalf of the full Board of Supervisors at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hearing in Santa Monica. Hundreds of people attended, according to ABC 7.

At issue is NOAA's off-cycle review of California's Coastal Management Program, the framework approved in 1978 that gives the state authority to approve or reject federal projects along its coast. The Trump administration ordered the new review after accusing California of "environmental extremism" for blocking expanded SpaceX launches and offshore drilling, LAist reported. California officials say the state has approved 96% of the thousands of federal actions brought before the Coastal Commission in the program's five-decade history.

NOAA completed a routine review in 2024 that found California had successfully implemented the program. A draft report was finished in 2025 but never finalized after the change in administration.

In his testimony, Rodoni argued that the Coastal Zone Management Act was built on a federal-state partnership, and that launching a review focused on a narrow set of federally prioritized issues raises "serious concerns about state and local autonomy," according to a Marin County press release.

"Decisions affecting California's coast must be based on sound science, existing law, and meaningful conversation with the communities that will bear the consequences," Rodoni said at the hearing.

The Board's 2026 Legislative Platform, approved in December 2025, formally opposes all oil and gas development, deep-sea mining and any actions that would weaken marine protections or adjust the size of offshore marine sanctuaries. That platform was entered into the federal record at the hearing.

Before traveling to Santa Monica, Rodoni told the Marin Independent Journal on Aug. 8 that his in-person appearance "demonstrates our commitment to defend our coast, as we did in the 70s, 80s and 90s."

Any NOAA ruling from the review is expected to become public next spring, the same window when the Trump administration wants to auction off drilling rights in federal waters off California, according to the OC Register. California's ocean economy generates an estimated $44 billion to $51 billion per year.

Marin residents can still weigh in. NOAA is holding virtual public meetings on Tuesday, Aug. 11, and Wednesday, Aug. 12, both starting at 2 p.m. Written comments are accepted by email at [email protected] through Saturday, Aug. 22.