Copyright NJ.com
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) fired back at President Donald Trump on Tuesday over his reported plan to open the state’s coast for oil drilling. The Trump administration is planning a proposal to allow oil drilling off the coast of California, according to reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times. The Washington Post reported that the administration is looking into six offshore lease sales near the California coast between 2027 and 2030. Trump has been a strong proponent of increasing domestic oil drilling despite concerns from environmentalists and experts. The reported plan is already receiving pushback from Newsom—who has been a fierce opponent of oil drilling in the state. “Dead on arrival,” Newsom wrote in response to The Washington Post report. Newsom’s press office suggested that Trump approve oil drilling off the coast of Mar-a-Lago instead. “This plan is dead on arrival. Donnie, if you’re going to open up America’s coasts, why skip your own backyard at Mar-a-Lago?” the press office wrote on X. The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration’s is also considering lease sales in 2029 and 2030 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which has been avoided in the past due to fears of an oil spill impacting Florida tourism. There are also more than 20 sites being floated as possible lease sales in Alaska, according to the report. The Post noted that 10 oil and energy groups said in a joint letter earlier this year that all sites “with the potential to generate jobs, new revenue, and additional production to advance America’s energy dominance should be considered for inclusion.” The letter also backed drilling sites in California and off the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The Post noted that California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) has already pushed against Trump’s plans for offshore drilling in the state. “President Trump is once again taking action to line the pockets of his Big Oil friends. This time, he’s expanding oil and gas development by attempting to drill in our coastal communities,” Bonta said in June. “We won’t stand idly by as the President continues to ignore science. That’s why I, alongside attorneys general nationwide, are calling on the federal government to consider the environmental and public health risks of offshore oil and gas drilling and protect our coastal communities,” he added.
