Trump administration planning to allow oil and gas drilling off California coast

"The Trump administration is planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the California coast for the first time in decades, according to a draft plan shared with the Washington Post. The move is guaranteed to set up a battle with the state's governor, Gavin Newsom, a staunch opponent of offshore drilling. The plan would include six offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030 along the California coast, as well as the expansion of drilling into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America."

"It's not clear how interested the oil and gas industry will be in lease auctions for drilling off California; leases in the Gulf off Louisiana and Texas are expected to be of more interest because of proximity to existing support infrastructure. There has been limited drilling and no new leasing on the Pacific Coast since the 1980s, in large part due to a catastrophic oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969, which spurred the first Earth Day and jumpstarted the national environmental movement."

"The federal government's offshore oil drilling plan will damage coastlines and communities, while threatening coastal recreation and tourism industries that contribute billions of dollars to our nation's economy, Pete Stauffer, ocean protection manager of the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to ocean conservation, said. Offshore drilling is highly unpopular across the country and will increase the likelihood of yet another destructive oil spill off our coasts. Surfrider Foundation's chapter network will fight"

Federal plans would reopen offshore oil and gas drilling off the California coast with six lease sales scheduled between 2027 and 2030 and expanded drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The proposal sets up direct conflict with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has vowed the plan would be dead on arrival in California. Industry interest in Pacific leases is uncertain; Gulf leases off Louisiana and Texas are expected to attract more bidders due to existing infrastructure. Limited Pacific leasing since the 1980s reflects legacy concerns from the 1969 Santa Barbara spill. Environmental groups warn of coastal damage, economic harm to tourism, and higher spill risk.

Read at www.theguardian.com