The Trump administration announced on Thursday (November 20) that it has approved new oil drilling leases off the coasts of California, Florida, and Alaska. President Trump is seeking to increase U.S. oil production significantly and reduce energy costs.
The U.S. Department of the Interior stated on Thursday that Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has signed an order titled “Unleashing American Offshore Energy,” directing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to take action to terminate President Biden’s “2024-2029 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program.”
This order will replace the previous leasing program with the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program proposed by Burgum. The new plan suggests up to 34 potential offshore lease auctions in 21 areas off the coast of Alaska, 7 areas near Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, and 6 areas along the coast of California.
Burgum stated, “By advancing this robust and forward-looking leasing plan, we will ensure the vitality of the American offshore energy industry, protect jobs, and allow the nation to maintain its energy dominance for decades to come.”
This action immediately faced opposition from Democrats and environmental groups, as it breaks a decades-long tradition of not issuing nearshore drilling leases off the coasts of California and Florida. Residents and local politicians in these areas remain concerned about the risk of oil spills.
While California currently has offshore oil drilling platforms, no new oil drilling leases have been issued in its federal waters since the mid-1980s. Additionally, since 1995, the federal government has prohibited oil drilling in federal waters off Florida and Alabama due to oil spill concerns.
Burgum’s plan involves conducting new drilling at least 100 miles off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, near an area in the central Gulf of Mexico that already has thousands of oil wells and hundreds of drilling sites.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that Trump administration officials were planning the first new offshore oil drilling leases in decades off the coast of California, to which California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom responded that the initiative would be “dead on arrival.”
On Thursday, Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla from California and Jared Huffman, the Chief Democratic Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, issued a joint statement criticizing the Trump administration’s plan.
They wrote, “Through this proposal, Trump and his administration seek to destroy one of the world’s most valuable and protected coastlines, handing it over to the fossil fuel industry. These lease areas are irreplaceable and allowing drilling would weaken military preparedness, posing a risk to national security.”
Joseph Gordon, the Advocacy Director of Oceana, referred to Trump’s plan as an “oil spill nightmare.” He stated, “The last thing America needs right now is a large expansion of offshore drilling that could close our coasts due to catastrophic oil spills. Fortunately, the Atlantic coast is spared, but this dangerous proposal — to still auction off millions of acres of marine areas — betrays a bipartisan chorus of voices, including anti-offshore drilling U.S. congressional members, business leaders, and coastal residents.”
The American Petroleum Institute said that Trump’s drilling plan is a “historic step in unlocking the nation’s vast offshore resources.”
And thus, the decision to proceed with offshore oil drilling in these areas raises concerns and debates over environmental impacts, economic benefits, and national security implications. The clash of interests between energy development, environmental protection, and coastal community well-being continues to shape the dialogue surrounding offshore drilling policies in the United States.