New plans announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of the Interior titled “Unleashing American Offshore Energy” call for large swaths of the California coastline to be leased for offshore drilling.
These include Northern California shore to be leased in 2029, Central California shore to be leased in 2027 and 2029 and Southern California shore to be leased in 2027, 2029 and 2030. According to the department, there are 34 total proposed lease sales (including parts of the Alaska and Gulf of America shoreline).
“Once granted, an oil and gas lease conveys the exclusive right to explore, develop, and produce oil and/or gas for a specific initial period (for a minimum of five and maximum of 10 years) from a specific [Outer Continental Shelf] block,” the department explained.
It also said that the plan was part of President Donald Trump and his administration’s plan to restore “American energy dominance,” and it called former President Joe Biden’s previous leasing program “restrictive.” That former plan was also described by the new administration as the “smallest offshore leasing plan ever.”
Trump, meanwhile, has vowed to “drill, baby, drill,” during his second term.
“Offshore oil and gas production does not happen overnight. It takes years of planning, investment, and hard work before barrels reach the market,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America’s offshore production. 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.”
However, the plan was also met with swift criticism.
“Trump’s war on marine life continues with this absolutely unhinged attack on our coasts,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Auctioning off nearly the entire U.S. coast to Big Oil will inflict oil spill after devastating oil spill, harm whales and sea turtles and wreck fisheries and coastal economies. I’m confident that Americans across the political spectrum will come together to fight Trump’s plan to smear toxic crude across our beaches and oceans.”
U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) also slammed the announcement. He said “despite clear opposition from public officials, environmental experts, and residents across our state, the Administration has proposed to sell California’s coastline to Big Oil. Let me be clear: this is a reckless and dangerous move.”
Carbajal also noted that the plan also puts the public health of coastal communities at risk, “so oil executives can line their pockets.” He said he will do “everything” in his power to fight against the plan.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom – a frequent critic of Trump – also said that he plans to fight back against the proposal.
“Trump’s idiotic plan endangers our coastal economy and communities and hurts the well-being of Californians. This reckless attempt to sell out our coastline to his Big Oil donors is dead in the water,” Newsom said in a statement. “Californians remember the environmental and economic devastation of past oil spills. For decades, California has stood firm in our opposition to new offshore drilling, and nothing will change that. We will use every tool at our disposal to protect our coastline. It’s interesting that Donald’s proposal doesn’t include the waters off Mar-a-Lago,” he added, referring to Trump’s estate on the Atlantic coast of Florida.