The U.S. federal government on Thursday announced plans to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of California and Florida for the first time in decades, prompting a strong reaction from California’s governor, who called the plan “idiotic”.
The Department of the Interior yesterday announced an order signed by Secretary Doug Burgum titled Unleashing American Offshore Energy, which would roll back limits introduced during the previous administration and open up more offshore areas for oil and gas exploration.
“Offshore oil and gas production does not happen overnight. It takes years of planning, investment, and hard work before barrels reach the market,” Secretary Burgum said. “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.”
California’s Gavin Newsom disagrees. “Trump’s idiotic plan endangers our coastal economy and communities and hurts the well-being of Californians,” he said in an official statement. “This reckless attempt to sell out our coastline to his Big Oil donors is dead in the water. Californians remember the environmental and economic devastation of past oil spills.”
“For decades, California has stood firm in our opposition to new offshore drilling, and nothing will change that,” the California governor said, even as earlier this year he signaled his government was ready to make certain concessions for Big Oil to keep at least some of its refineries operating and maintain a cap on gas prices.
In pursuit of lower gas prices, the governor of California approved a streamlined permitting process for new drilling in the state, Bloomberg reported in late September, and sent out envoys to talk Big Oil into staying in California. Given Newsom’s strong reaction to the offshore drilling plan of the Interior Department, California authorities are only okay with onshore drilling.
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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