Oil Drilling

The Trump Administration’s proposed offshore drilling plan embodies one of the most sweeping expansions of offshore oil and gas leasing within U.S. history. The 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program would make almost all U.S. coastal waters available for future drilling, which includes regions where leasing has not occurred for decades or ever (ODI). According to the Department of the Interior, this plan outlines up to 34 potential lease sales across Alaska, the Gulf of America, and the Pacific, which is roughly 1.27 billion acres of public waters (U.S. Department of the Interior).
 

The proposal includes as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 existing Outer Continental Shelf planning areas. It includes every available offshore area in Alaska, seven areas off the coast in the Gulf of America (GOA) including portions of the Eastern gulf, and six off of California. In addition to these 34 scheduled oil sales, Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” aims to force 30 oil sales in the Gulf over the next 15 years and six in Alaska’s Cook Inlet - which is host to incredibly diverse wildlife. 
 

However, this expansion is widely viewed as unnecessary, since the U.S. is already producing more oil than any nation ever, and oil companies currently hold leases on more than 11 million acres of federal offshore water, most of which are not actively producing (ODI; Sierra Club). The proposed plan itself acknowledges that the production from newly leased areas may not begin for a decade or more and would continue for 30 to 40 years, which means these leases would not provide temporary energy relief or even lower consumer prices (U.S. Department of the Interior).
 

Offshore drilling also leads to significant environmental and economic risks. Every offshore oil spill begins with a lease sale, and the impacts of past disasters continue to impact communities today. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill was the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history and caused widespread ecological damage in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in billions of dollars in cleanup and economic losses, with long-term declines documented in fish, marine mammals, and deep-sea ecosystems (Center for Biological Diversity; Oceana). In California, historic spills like the 1969 Santa Barbara blowout and the 2015 Refugio pipeline spill demonstrate how a single incident can devastate coastal tourism, fisheries, and local lives for years (Surfrider Foundation).
 

In addition to spill risks, offshore drilling continues to contribute to harmful air pollution and climate change. Offshore platforms and support vessels emit nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and greenhouse gases, worsening air quality and linked to higher rates of asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other health impacts in nearby communities (Center for Biological Diversity, Oceana). Expanding offshore drilling further undermines climate goals at a time when clean energy solutions, such as offshore wind, are creating jobs while reducing pollution and strengthening energy security (Surfrider Foundation; Sierra Club).
 

Public opposition to offshore drilling is broad and bipartisan. Polling consistently shows that a strong majority of Americans support protecting U.S. coastlines from new offshore oil and gas development, and hundreds of municipalities, along with state and local leaders, have formally opposed expanding drilling (Sierra; Surfrider Foundation). In response, Congress has introduced crucial legislation to prevent any incoming administrations from offshore oil and gas drilling across the East Coast, West Coast, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Arctic Ocean, including the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, Coast Anti-Drilling Act, and Florida Coast Protection Act.
 

The Department of the Interior’s 60-day public comment period is open through January 23, 2026, which is a critical moment for public engagement. Your voice is essential to demonstrate nationwide opposition and to protect U.S. oceans, coastal economies, and communities from the long-term harms of offshore oil and gas drilling: use this upcoming 60-day period to demand protection against offshore drilling for U.S. waters (Federal Register). 

Further Resources

• 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program 

• Trump Proposes Massive Expansion of Offshore Drilling in Public Waters; Targets Protected Public Waters off California, Eastern Gulf near Florida, All of Alaska

• Reps. Huffman, Pallone, and Castor Introduce Bills to Permanently Protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from Offshore Drilling

• Interior Launches Expansive 11th National Offshore Leasing Program to Advance U.S. Energy Dominance

• WHERE THEY DRILL, THEY SPILL: OFFSHORE DRILLING IS DIRTY, DANGEROUS, AND DRIVES CLIMATE CHANGE

• Notice of Availability of the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Draft Proposed Program: 1st Analysis and Proposal MAA104000

• OFFSHORE DRILLING: PROTECT OUR OCEANS BY STOPPING THE EXPANSION OF OFFSHORE DRILLING

• Offshore drilling 101