County To Sue Feds, Join Sierra Club In Land Use Suit

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County will be the first local government agency to join in a Sierra Club lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the county announced. The move comes after the bureau earmarked 300 acres in Santa Cruz County for possible development.

Sierra Club is suing the agency for making 725,500 acres of federal public lands and mineral estate from the Central Coast to Bay Area open for possible oil and gas exploration, the county said in a press release. Sierra Club claims that the bureau did not analyze potential environmental impacts, as is required by federal law.

The areas were identified in 2017, though no Santa Cruz County land was included in the initial draft. Still, at that time, the county notified the bureau that it opposed leasing or development, the county said.

In spite of the county's objection, the bureau adopted an alternative in 2019 that named Santa Cruz County sites, but was not included under the environmental impact statement, according to the county.

“For decades, the people of Santa Cruz County have been leaders in preserving our
environment by preventing oil and gas development both offshore and within our borders,” said Supervisor John Leopold in a press release. “The BLM’s actions represent a threat to our land use policies and our values, and we will take strong action to defend both.”