A cleanup crew walk along Huntington Beach looking for spots of oil north of the pier with cargo container ships in the background. More than 125,000 gallons of oil spilled from a pipeline about four miles offshore of Southern California's coast. The spill left a sheen over miles of ocean along the shoreline at Huntington Beach. Xxx News Southern California Oil Spill 033 Jpg A Oth Usa Ca
California – The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a sweeping proposal that would reopen federal waters off California to new offshore oil and gas leasing for the first time in roughly 40 years, setting up an immediate clash with the state’s political leadership and raising new questions about the future of federal drilling policy along the West Coast.
The draft five-year leasing schedule, released by the Interior Department, outlines as many as 34 offshore lease sales between 2026 and 2031 — the most aggressive offshore drilling plan proposed in decades. Six of those sales would be held off Southern, Central and Northern California. Others include two auctions in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and 21 around Alaska, including areas of the High Arctic that have never been drilled.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the plan is aimed at reversing what he called the Biden administration’s “crippling” limits on offshore production.
“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,” Burgum said.
California leaders responded with swift rejection. Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaking at the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, called the plan “dead on arrival,” framing it as a direct challenge to the state’s push toward renewable energy and its long-standing opposition to new coastal drilling.
The proposal would represent a major expansion beyond the existing federal leasing schedule, which currently includes only three sales nationwide between 2024 and 2029. Companies still operate decades-old leases off the California coast, but efforts to revive production — including a recent proposal in Southern California — have faced strong resistance from state and local officials.
The eastern Gulf of Mexico leases could also prompt political backlash in Florida, where lawmakers in both parties have opposed offshore drilling for years over concerns about its impact on tourism. It remains unclear whether the proposed sales fall inside the region’s existing drilling moratorium, which extends roughly 125 miles from shore.
Elsewhere, the plan proposes an unprecedented 21 sales in Alaska, starting in 2026 in the Beaufort Sea and continuing with auctions in the Chukchi Sea, Cook Inlet and a High Arctic region that has never hosted a lease sale. The last Arctic Ocean lease auction took place in 2008, and Shell’s failed attempt to drill there in 2012 underscored both the economic and logistical hurdles facing Arctic development.
Industry groups praised the plan as a necessary step to maintain U.S. energy production, particularly as the productivity of onshore shale wells declines. Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, said new offshore acreage is essential given the long lead times for developing offshore fields.
“We need to make sure we’re not missing out on potential strategic opportunities 10, 15, 20 years down the road,” Milito said.
Environmental groups sharply disagreed, warning that the proposed expansion increases risks to marine ecosystems, endangered species and coastal communities. Oceana campaign director Joseph Gordon said the plan “could shut down our shores with catastrophic oil spills” and urged state and federal leaders to block the proposal.
The Interior Department will accept public comment on the draft for 60 days beginning Nov. 24. A revised version is expected next year before the agency finalizes the plan.
