"Trump Moves to Open Nearly All Offshore Waters to Drilling"

"WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Thursday it would allow new offshore oil and gas drilling in nearly all United States coastal waters, giving energy companies access to leases off California for the first time in decades and opening more than a billion acres in the Arctic and along the Eastern Seaboard.

The proposal lifts a ban on such drilling imposed by President Barack Obama near the end of his term and would deal a serious blow to his environmental legacy. It would also signal that the Trump administration is not done unraveling environmental restrictions in an effort to promote energy production.

While the plan puts the administration squarely on the side of the energy industry and against environmental groups, it also puts the White House at odds with a number of coastal states that oppose offshore drilling. Some of those states are led by Republicans, like Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, where the tourism industry was hit hard by the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster in 2010 that killed 11 people and spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico."

Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times January 4, 2018.

SEE ALSO:

"Trump Plan For Atlantic Coast Energy Exploration Could Shake Up 2018 Elections" (McClatchy)

"Coastal Governors Oppose Trump's Offshore Drilling Plan" (Washington Examiner)

"The 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill That Changed Oil And Gas Exploration Forever" (Los Angeles Times)

"Trump Administration Proposes Massive Expansion of Offshore Drilling" (Mother Jones)

"Interior Department's Proposal To Open Offshore Areas To Drilling Could Impact National Park System" (National Parks Traveler)

"Florida's GOP Governor Opposes Trump Move To Expand Offshore Oil Drilling" (The Hill)

"Trump Administration Aims To Open Nearly All U.S. Offshore To Oil Drilling" (Reuters)

"Trump Administration Plan Would Widely Expand Drilling In U.S. Continental Waters" (Washington Post)

"Lawmakers Sending Letter To Zinke To Oppose Offshore Drilling" (The Hill)

"Rubio Wants Offshore Drilling Ban Extended Near Florida" (The Hill)

"California Has Ample Weapons To Fight Trump On Drilling" (AP)