Trump administration announces plan for new oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida

WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration revealed on Thursday new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades advancing a project that critics say could harm coastal communities and ecosystems as President Donald Trump seeks to expand U S oil production The oil industry has been seeking access to new offshore areas including Southern California and off the coast of Florida as a way to boost U S potency safety and jobs The federal regime has not allowed drilling in federal waters in the eastern Gulf of Mexico which includes offshore Florida and part of offshore Alabama since because of concerns about oil spills California has selected offshore oil rigs but there has been no new leasing in federal waters since the mid- s Since taking office for a second time in January Trump has systematically reversed former President Joe Biden s focus on slowing environment change to pursue what the Republican calls U S potency dominance in the global field Trump who of late called context change the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world created a National Vitality Dominance Council and directed it to move briskly to drive up already record-high U S vitality production particularly fossil fuels such as oil coal and natural gas Meanwhile Trump s administration has blocked renewable resource sources such as offshore wind and canceled billions of dollars in grants that supported hundreds of clean force projects across the country Even before it was distributed the offshore drilling plan has been met with strong opposition from California Gov Gavin Newsom a Democrat who is eyeing a presidential run and has emerged as a leading Trump critic Newsom pronounced the idea dead on arrival in a social media post The proposal also is likely to draw bipartisan opposition in Florida Tourism and access to clean beaches are key parts of the economic activity in both states Plans to allow drilling off California Alaska and Florida s coast The administration s plan proposes six offshore lease sales off the coast of California It also calls for new drilling off the coast of Florida in areas at least miles from that state s shore The area targeted for leasing is adjacent to an area in the Central Gulf of Mexico that already contains thousands of wells and hundreds of drilling platforms The five-year plan also would compel more than lease sales off the coast of Alaska including a newly designated area known as the High Arctic more than miles offshore in the Arctic Ocean All offshore areas with the prospective to generate jobs new revenue and additional production to advance America s potency dominance should be considered for inclusion the American Petroleum Institute and other groups commented in a joint letter to the Trump administration in June The groups cited California s history as an oil-producing state Undiscovered information could be readily produced given the array of existing infrastructure in the area particularly in southern California the letter announced Opposition from California and Florida Sen Rick Scott a Florida Republican and Trump ally helped persuade Trump administrators to drop a similar offshore plan in when he was governor Last week Scott and fellow Florida Republican Sen Ashley Moody co-sponsored a bill to maintain a moratorium on offshore drilling in the state that Trump signed in his first term As Floridians we know how vital our beautiful beaches and coastal waters are to our state s market climate and way of life Scott mentioned in a message I will dependably work to keep Florida s shores pristine and protect our natural treasures for generations to come A Newsom spokesman revealed Trump authorities had not formally shared the plan but revealed expensive and riskier offshore drilling would put our communities at hazard and undermine the economic stability of our coastal economies California has been a leader in restricting offshore oil drilling since the infamous Santa Barbara spill that helped spark the modern environmental movement While there have been no new federal leases offered since the mid- s drilling from existing platforms continues Newsom expressed promotion for greater offshore controls after a spill off Huntington Beach and has backed a congressional effort to ban new offshore drilling on the West Coast A Texas-based company with encouragement from the Trump administration is seeking to restart production in waters off Santa Barbara damaged by a oil spill The administration has hailed the plan by Houston-based Sable Offshore Corp as the kind of project Trump wants to increase U S capacity production as the federal leadership removes regulatory fences Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term reversing former President Joe Biden s ban on future offshore oil drilling on the East and West coasts A federal court later struck down Biden s order to withdraw million acres of federal waters from oil evolution Environmental and economic concerns over oil spills Democratic lawmakers including California Sens Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff and Rep Jared Huffman the top Democrat on the House Natural Guidance Committee warned that opening vast coastlines to new offshore drilling would devastate coastal economies jeopardize our national measure ravage coastal ecosystems and put millions of Americans wellness and safety at liability Oil spills not only cause irreparable environmental damage but also suppress the value of coastal homes harm tourism economies and weaken coastal infrastructure the lawmakers stated in a letter signed by dozens of Democrats One disastrous oil spill can cost taxpayers billions in lost revenue cleanup costs and ecosystem restoration they commented Joseph Gordon campaign director for the environmental group Oceana called the Trump administration s latest plan an oil spill nightmare Coastal communities depend on healthy oceans for economic assurance and their cherished way of life he commented We need to protect our coasts from more offshore drilling not put them up for sale to the oil and gas industry There s too much at stake to exposure more horrific oil spills that will haunt our coastlines for generations to come Source