The Trump administration is proposing to lease large swaths of water off the coast of California, the eastern Gulf shore, and the High Arctic for oil and gas drilling, escalating its plans to “drill, baby, drill.”
The administration’s plan was outlined in the Interior Department’s five-year management plan for oil and gas development, released Thursday.
The decision cancels the oil and gas leasing plan issued under the Biden administration, outlining as many as 34 possible offshore lease sales for between 2026 and 2031 off the coasts of California, Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump has renamed the Gulf of America.
Specifically, the proposal suggests six lease sales in the Pacific, as early as 2027, for an area off the coast of Southern California.
It also recommends holding a lease sale in nearly every planning area off the coast of Alaska, including the southern Gulf of Alaska, northern Beaufort Sea, and the High Arctic.
Most of the lease sales proposed for the Gulf Coast are located offshore of Texas and Louisiana. However, the Interior Department has also proposed sales in 2029 and 2030 in the eastern Gulf, closer to Florida’s western shore.
Thursday’s announcement is the first of three proposals that are expected to be developed into a final five-year plan for 2026-2031, according to the Interior Department. Each lease sale proposed is expected to undergo additional review, environmental analysis, and public comment periods.
“Offshore oil and gas production does not happen overnight,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “It takes years of planning, investment, and hard work before barrels reach the market.”
“The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America’s offshore production,” Burgum continued. “By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come.”
News of the proposed leases off the coast of California first surfaced last week, prompting a strong rebuke from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
Newsom, who frequently spars with President Donald Trump and is considered to be a possible candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, dismissed the expected proposal, saying it would be “dead on arrival.”
Last week, Newsom spokesman Anthony Martinez accused the Trump administration of failing to consider offshore drilling’s effect on the environment and said the governor’s office was not informed of the plans ahead of time.
Environmental and ocean conservation groups have since blasted the proposed plan, with Oceana’s campaign director Joseph Gordon calling it “an oil spill nightmare.”
Meanwhile, the updated management plan has been lauded by offshore drilling industry groups, including the National Ocean Industries Association.
“Energy security is national security,” NOIA President Erik Milito said. “The Gulf is an energy powerhouse, producing nearly 2 million barrels of oil per day with production recognized as among the lowest carbon intensity in the world. A clear leasing schedule gives companies the certainty to invest, strengthens supply chains, bolsters communities, and keeps the U.S. competitive in a rapidly evolving global energy landscape.”
The oil and gas development plan is the latest effort by the Trump administration to bolster the fossil fuel industry while scaling back environmental regulations and climate change-related rules that have curbed exploration and drilling in recent years.
The president and other top Cabinet members have justified the agenda by pointing to the soaring energy demand brought on by artificial intelligence and citing a national interest in increasing fossil fuel exports to both Asia and Europe.
Alaska has remained central to the administration’s plans to increase domestic energy production, with the Interior Department formally rescinding rules imposed under former President Joe Biden that restricted fossil fuel development in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska, the nation’s largest tract of public land.
Once finalized, the lease auctions proposed in the development plan would be an addition to the 30 offshore lease sales already scheduled to take place over the next 14 years, mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by Trump in July.
NEWSOM: PROPOSAL FOR OFFSHORE DRILLING NEAR CALIFORNIA ‘DEAD ON ARRIVAL’
These lease sales, which focus solely on drilling in southern Alaskan waters and the Gulf, are scheduled for between December 2025 and March 2040.
It is important to note that these lease sales, regardless of region, do not guarantee increased exploration or drilling activities.
