Newsom: Trump’s Drilling Plan ‘Dead on Arrival’ in California Plan would allow new drilling for the first time in decades, sources say

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to open the California coast to new oil and gas drilling for the first time in nearly 40 years, according to three sources who spoke to the New York Times. The proposal is expected to spark a legal and political battle with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a vocal critic of offshore drilling who is currently in Brazil attending a United Nations climate summit.

Newsom dismissed the plan as “dead on arrival in California” and said the state would challenge it in court if it moves forward. He also noted that President Trump has not proposed drilling near his own resort in Florida, hinting at political motives behind the push. According to the Sacramento Bee, Newsom added that offshore drilling is “overwhelmingly opposed by members of all political parties in the state of California.”

Fossil fuel development along the California coast has been virtually nonexistent since a massive 1969 oil spill near Santa Barbara galvanized the U.S. environmental movement and led to a ban on drilling in state waters, which extend three miles from shore. Trump’s plan would allow drilling and leasing in federal waters off California, largely dormant since the mid-1980s. The proposal would mainly target areas off Santa Barbara County, where limited drilling still occurs, and would also expand leasing in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which Trump has referred to as the Gulf of America.

The plan is expected to face pushback from both Democrats and Republicans in coastal states, particularly Florida, where the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill still shapes policy decisions. Energy analysts caution that California’s regulatory and political hurdles, combined with limited infrastructure, may deter oil companies, with most industry interest likely focusing on the already-developed Gulf of Mexico.

Under a recent tax and spending bill signed by President Trump, dozens of new offshore lease sales are required, although the Biden administration’s previous plan had limited drilling to select Gulf areas over climate concerns. Environmental groups are preparing legal challenges, citing risks of oil spills and potential harm to coastal economies. The Wall Street Journal reports that an official announcement could come this week, while the Washington Post has detailed draft maps that include remote areas of Alaska, where oil spill cleanup would be especially challenging.

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