Lawmakers are girding for a fight against President Donald Trump’s apparent plans to open up the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines to offshore drilling.
In interviews Thursday, Democrats called the idea “not lawful,” a “huge mistake” and “absolutely ridiculous.” Coastal Republicans, for their part, said they would also oppose any offshore drilling, though at least one East Coast Republican was open to the idea — albeit with a caveat.
Trump faced bipartisan opposition when he attempted a similar move in 2020, during his first term. He eventually backed down following widespread outcry amid his reelection effort.
It’s unclear this time around whether lawmakers, especially coastal Republicans, will be able to stop him as intraparty opposition has largely evaporated in his second term. Moreover, any new drilling effort is likely to be met with multiple lawsuits.
Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on Thursday he was opposed to new drilling off the coast of his state. Trump’s plan, which POLITICO reported is expected to offer acres off the southern coast of California and “at least a small sliver” of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, is likely to be wildly unpopular in Florida. The plans have not yet been finalized.
“I haven’t supported drilling in the eastern Gulf of America,” Scott said, using Trump’s preferred name. “It’s important to Florida.” The Houston Chronicle, which first reported on the plans, said that Florida would continue to enjoy a drilling ban.
Coastal Republicans in the past have mounted stiff opposition to drilling off their coastlines, especially in states like Florida and South Carolina, where tourism is a major draw. Opposition only grew after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, which spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf.
The Atlantic coast currently has no offshore oil and gas, while the Pacific has greatly scaled back its production in part due to state and federal laws to phase out or ban new offshore drilling.
Trump, in his last term, banned new drilling off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida until 2032 following pressure from allies in those states and to shore up his own environmental standing as he faced off with future President Joe Biden. He could reverse those plans now.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), a Trump ally who is running for governor, said that the moratorium still stands and that she continues to oppose offshore drilling in South Carolina.
“President Trump put protections in place to prevent offshore drilling off South Carolina’s coast, and those remain in effect through 2032,” Mace’s communications director, Sydney Long, said in a statement to POLITICO’s E&E News. “Congresswoman Mace continues to oppose offshore drilling in South Carolina to protect our coastline, economy, and way of life.”
Wind and drilling … together?
At least one Republican senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has broken with the Trump administration on multiple issues and is retiring at the end of this term, said he supports drilling off of North Carolina’s coast.
“When I was speaker [of the North Carolina House], I wanted to explore the possibilities of extraction off the coast, off the sightlines of the coast, particularly for natural gas,” Tillis said. “Outside of the sightlines, you can’t see them from an 11-story building, which is the tallest building in Wilmington.”
Tillis’ support, however, came with a twist: He also wants to see offshore wind off the shore of North Carolina, which Trump hates.
“I support offshore drilling, but I also support offshore wind, and I think we should have both of them off the shores of North Carolina,” Tillis said.
Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), was less committal when asked about the prospect of offshore drilling in North Carolina. He did not support or disavow the plan outright.
“I want to see their plans before I comment, I know the broad strokes but I don’t see the details,” Budd said. “I support energy, I’ll tell you that.”
Every Democrat interviewed Thursday, however, eviscerated the proposal.
“It’s going to be unacceptable for not just Democratic-run states, but for everybody. We don’t need to be moving in that direction,” said Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J). “I can guarantee you there’ll be bipartisan pushback in New Jersey on that, as there was last time this came up a couple years ago.”
Kim pointed to the administration’s actions to halt or slow renewable energy projects up and down the Atlantic.
“The fact that they are literally trying to take offline other energy projects that we had moving, including ones along the Atlantic coast … this would be absolutely ridiculous to move in that direction,” he said.
Fellow Atlantic Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia Democrat, also said opposition is bound to mount for plans to drill off the coast. A major offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia supported by both parties is nearing completion.
“We kind of litigated this in Virginia, not technically in the courts, but there was such huge pushback from Virginia Beach and the communities, especially in terms of the challenge it would bring to the tourism industry,” Warner said. “In a regular world, I couldn’t believe they’d even be suggesting this, but let me see what comes to pass.”
Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he has never supported drilling off the coast. Maine is famed for its fisheries, especially lobsters. King has also been a major proponent of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.
“I’ve been against it from the very beginning,” King said of offshore oil drilling. “The risk is far greater than the benefit.”
‘We’ll do everything we can’
On the Pacific coast, too, where no elected Republicans serve, there was intense pushback.
Sen. Alex Padilla of California, a Democrat, suggested that the move to open up more drilling in the state could be a jab at Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has become a top Democratic foil to Trump and is widely considered to be eyeing the White House in 2028.
“That may be the poke of the day,” Padilla said. “Not surprised, but not lawful.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), fresh off a nearly 24-hour speech on the Senate floor, also weighed in on potential drilling on the West Coast.
“We in Oregon are hugely opposed to any sort of drilling. We have the most productive fisheries, the most incredible coastline,” Merkley said. “This is nothing but a threat to our stakeholders in the fishing and crabbing world. And it would be a huge mistake to do any drilling off the Oregon coast.”
Merkley’s counterpart, former Environment and Natural Resources Chair and current Finance ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), was more terse: “We’ll do everything we can to block them,” he vowed.
Reporters Amelia Davidson, Kelsey Brugger, Andres Picon and Nico Portuondo contributed.
This story also appears in Energywire.
