New oil and gas drilling could commence in California if President Donald Trump gets his way, as the U.S. federal government continues to support a “Drill, baby, drill” approach to fossil fuel production.
In November, the Trump administration plans to allow new oil and gas drilling off the California coast, according to a draft plan shared with the Washington Post. This would be the first time in several decades that new exploration operations were permitted. The document outlines a plan for six offshore lease sales along the California coastline, as well as the expansion of drilling into the eastern Gulf of Mexico, between 2027 and 2030.
It is thought that the Interior Department could announce a formal proposal as early as this week. Any new drilling is expected to be centred around the Santa Barbara County region, where limited drilling is already taking place.
A major oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969 prompted the government to bring an end to new leasing off the Pacific Coast, as well as limit existing drilling operations. Previous governments have continued to restrict drilling in the Californian waters, which extend three miles from the shoreline, due to concerns over beach pollution and the potential negative impact on tourism.
Pete Stauffer, the ocean protection manager of the Surfrider Foundation, stated, “Offshore drilling is highly unpopular across the country and will increase the likelihood of yet another destructive oil spill off our coasts. Surfrider Foundation’s chapter network will fight this proposal vigorously to protect all US coastlines from the unnecessary risks involved with new offshore drilling.”
The plan would also require Trump to approve new oil and gas leasing in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a body of water that the President renamed the Gulf of America in January. This would likely lead to pushback from Republicans in Florida who have been opposed to new drilling since the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster of 2010.
Meanwhile, in June, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in which he stated that South Carolina’s coastline was “one of the most pristine in the country, and offshore drilling is simply not in its best interest.”
Despite efforts by the Trump administration to open nearly all U.S. coastal waters to drilling earlier this year, the Interior Department ultimately decided to introduce a moratorium on drilling off Florida, Georgia and South Carolina through 2032 following pressure from Republicans in the southeast of the country.
The position of oil and gas companies on conducting drilling in California waters is not yet clear, although developing new projects in the state would require a significant investment in supporting infrastructure, compared to other already developed regions of the United States. Analysts do not expect oil and gas companies to have much interest in the area due to the lack of infrastructure, as well as the widespread regional opposition to new drilling.
During this month’s COP30 climate summit in Brazil, California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, told reporters that any plan to carry out new drilling in the region would be “dead on arrival” in California. Newsom also said that the state would “absolutely” challenge the plan in court once it was finalised. This reflects his historic stance on new drilling. In June, Newsom addressed the Interior Department in a letter stressing California’s “continued opposition” to additional fossil fuel development.
Newsom, a long-time supporter of the U.S. green transition, attended the climate summit in Trump’s absence, after the Trump administration said that no high-level U.S. representatives would go to UN climate talks. During a ministerial meeting, Newsom said, I’m very mindful that the Trump administration has abandoned any sense of duty, responsibility, or leadership as it relates to the issues that bring us all here together… It’s an abomination. It’s a disgrace."
In response to news of the anticipated drilling proposal, Newsom said that it was “remarkable” that Trump did not call for drilling near his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. “He didn’t promote it off the coast of Florida,” stated Newsom. “That says everything about Donald Trump.”
In California, Texas-based oil company Sable Offshore has shown interest in reactivating three drilling rigs in federal waters off Santa Barbara that have sat unused since an oil spill in 2015. In May, Sable began producing oil at one of the rigs under an existing lease. However, following the move, California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, sued Sable Offshore, accusing the firm of illegally discharging waste into local waterways.
Although there has been no formal proposal for drilling in California, reports of plans for new exploration have prompted widespread pushback from state officials. The state governments of California, Florida and South Carolina have all shown opposition to new offshore oil exploration, meaning the federal government can expect a fight to get any new projects off the ground in those regions.
By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com
