Bipartisan pushback against Trump plan to drill offshore California, Florida

California and Florida politicians are in an uproar over a proposal by the Trump Administration to open acreage off the coast of their states to offshore drilling.

Gavin Newsom, the Democratic Governor of California who has often tangled with President Trump, was blunt in his assessment of the administration’s plan, calling it “idiotic.”

Added Governor Newsom, “This reckless attempt to sell out our coastline to his Big Oil donors is dead in the water. Californians remember the environmental and economic devastation of past oil spills.”

Meanwhile Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said the administration should reconsider its plan to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales off of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida) said the state’s coasts “must remain off the table for oil drilling.”

Federal acreage off both states is included in a new proposal for the 2026–2031 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program. Six offshore lease sales would offer areas off California between 2027-2030, while two lease sales would be held off Florida in a zone designated as the Gulf of America Program Area B. Five lease sales would be held in the Gulf of America Program Area A, offering acreage off Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The proposed programme also includes 21 offshore oil and gas lease sales in Alaskan waters.

US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum sees the proposed leasing sale as supporting his order for ’Unleashing American Offshore Energy’.

"The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America’s offshore production,” said Secretary Burgum. “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.”