A plan for extending the 241 toll road in Orange County remains stalled after regulatory action this week.

Surfer magazine reports the Regional Water Quality Control Board, reinforcing an earlier decision, said “no” to a waste water discharge permit for the “Tesoro Extension Project” during a hearing Monday in San Diego.

The Save San Onofre Coalition says the “no” vote amounted to the board voting 6-0 to adopt findings reinforcing its June 2013 rejection of the permit. The State Water Resources Control Board had told the San Diego board to adopt findings explaining its June 2013 decision.

The extension plan has been opposed by activist groups, including the Surfrider Foundation, which say the project could threaten natural lands in the Donna O’Neill Conservancy; and hurt San Onofre State Beach and prime surfing areas including Lower Trestles.

Last year the Transportation Corridor Agencies said they set aside plans to extend the 241 toll road by 16 miles, opting instead to seek the shorter, 5.5-mile Tesoro extension. That plan for a shorter road was shot down again Monday by the San Diego water board as activists said this would open the doors to reviving plans for the longer extension connecting the 241 to the 5 Freeway.

Toll road officials say extending the 241 would help ease congestion on I-5. The Tesoro extension would extend the 241 from its current terminus at Oso Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita to Cow Camp Road in San Juan Capistrano.

“Denying the extension of a roadway that is desperately needed to alleviate traffic congestion does not solve the region’s growing transportation problems. TCA is determined to find the right solution to solve mobility challenges facing South Orange County residents and commuters, and strengthen its partnerships with stakeholders in a way that addresses mobility challenges and minimizes environmental impacts,” the Transportation Corridor Agencies said in a statement prior to Monday’s meeting.

Toll road officials Monday said they’re reviewing their options to deal with the latest rejection of the Tesoro Extension plan.