Trump administration wants to open US coastal waters to boost oil production - Bloomberg

According to the agency, the draft plan includes waters near the southeastern US, which President Trump had sought to protect during his election campaign.

Environmentalists have criticized the plan, saying it would put too many coastal communities and marine habitats at risk, and some states have already expressed disinterest or outright opposition to new offshore oil lease agreements.

Although the final sale schedule is likely to be reduced, the initial draft signals a potentially large-scale expansion of US areas designated for oil and gas leasing, including waters near coral reefs and Arctic regions, which environmentalists say are threatened by drilling.

Where oil production will increase

The plan, developed by the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, lays the groundwork for potential auctions of oil and gas drilling rights in waters along the US East and West coasts, around Alaska, and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Drilling bans are likely to remain in protected areas, such as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument near the Hawaiian coast.

What oil companies say

Oil companies have shown limited interest in exploring new US waters far beyond the Gulf of Mexico, where they could face political opposition as well as geological risks.

Relatively little is known about potential oil and gas reserves along the East Coast, with most existing data coming from geological surveys conducted decades ago and roughly four dozen wells drilled in the 1970s and 1980s.

States’ positions

According to a September 17 document, no East Coast state has informed the Department of the Interior that it wishes to be included in the plan.

Florida is listed as having not expressed a position, while four states — Connecticut, Georgia, Virginia, and New Hampshire — "did not respond," according to the documents.

Eight other states have clearly opposed it: Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. On the West Coast, California, Oregon, and Washington have also opposed new leases near their shores.

Previously, Trump stated that European countries continue to buy Russian gas and oil despite Russia’s war against Ukraine and NATO member states, calling it a shame for them.