The Trump administration has proposed opening federal waters off California and Florida to oil exploration, after decades of prohibition.
The U.S. Department of the Interior on Thursday released a five-year plan for offshore drilling that would open up vast areas of the California coast to oil exploration.
The department is also proposing new oil drilling in parts of the Gulf of Mexico eastern — located about 100 miles off the coast of Florida — a measure that had previously been rejected by Florida’s Republican leadership.
The Trump administration’s proposal would also open the eastern Gulf of Mexico to federal auctions.
Additionally, it would allow auctions for drilling in Central and Southern California in 2027 and in Northern California in 2029.
According to an industry source, the oil industry has been advocating for years for the opening of parts of the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico, adjacent to areas where oil production has occurred for decades in the central region of the Gulf.
Proposal likely to face resistance in California
The state’s coast has not seen drilling since a devastating oil spill in 1969, which drew national attention for destroying marine life and impacting the state’s fishing industry.
Activities in the Gulf of Mexico will also be closely watched in Florida, where the memory of the Deepwater Horizon in 2010 still haunts public opinion.
During Trump’s first term, the state’s congressional delegation — including Republicans — repeatedly rejected attempts to allow drilling in the eastern Gulf region.
State governor Ron DeSantis has also opposed offshore exploration. The first Trump administration extended the ban on drilling in the eastern Gulf region rather than releasing it.
The plan also proposes holding concession auctions in the western and central Gulf of Mexico, where most offshore drilling is currently concentrated.
In response to the new bill, California leaders have vowed to oppose the federal measure authorizing oil and gas exploration in California waters, including through possible lawsuits.
“President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that his interest lies in his oil industry allies profiting at the expense of our environment and public health,” said Christine Lee, spokeswoman for California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“We will not allow this and we are looking at our legal options.”
Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Jared Huffman, both California Democrats, said in a joint statement that Trump’s plan “targets California and the entire West Coast because they think we will cave.”
