California Governor Pushes Back Hard Against Offshore Drilling Proposal, Questions Why Florida Was Excluded

The federal administration’s plan to reopen coastal offshore oil drilling was “dead on arrival,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. The recently reviewed federal draft plan proposes six California coast offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030, a major energy policy shift.

Newsom addressed California-federal energy and environmental policy disputes. At a Brazilian climate summit, the governor called the drilling plan reckless and political. California would litigate the proposal.

Geographic selectivity was Newsom’s main drilling proposal criticism. The federal plan targeted California’s coast but not Florida’s, where Trump’s Mar-a-Lago is. He advertised only in Florida. Newsom: It defines Trump.

California oil companies are reportedly uninterested in lease sales in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and large drilling expansions off Alaska due to infrastructure issues and high costs in the federal draft plan.

Energy production infrastructure is claimed on the California coast. Major oil and energy groups recommended regions with “the potential to generate jobs, new revenue, and additional production”.

California officials and environmentalists say the proposal ignores coastal tourism, marine ecosystems, and communities. California Attorney General Rob Bonta opposed fossil fuel drilling as harmful to science and public health.

Drilling proposal drafts take a year. If approved, production would take years to plan, approve, and build.

In the debate, Governor Newsom calls California a climate and environmental leader and coastal defender. He assertively emphasizes offshore drilling’s political and environmental risks, setting the stage for legal and legislative battles.

Sources
The Washington Post
The Guardian
Newsweek