The Interior Department announced a proposal to hold oil and gas lease sales off the coast of California, as well as in new areas of the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The moves seek to open waters along the West Coast that have long been unavailable for drilling. The announcement comes as Trump administration officials aim to expand U.S. fossil fuel production and target Democratic areas of the country. President Donald Trump also this year renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
“The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America’s offshore production,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a Thursday news release. “By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), while in Brazil for a global climate summit, recently called federal plans to offer oil and gas leases off the coast of California “dead on arrival,” according to POLITICO.
Environmentalists have been preparing to push back against new leasing plans.
“The last thing America needs now is a massive expansion of offshore drilling that could shut down our shores with catastrophic oil spills,” said Joseph Gordon, a campaign director at the Oceana conservation group, in a statement last week.
