Trump administration proposes opening waters off California and Florida to oil drilling

The proposed plan is a jab at California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, but could face bipartisan pushback for opening acres off Florida's Gulf Coast.

November 20, 2025

The Trump administration proposed a plan Thursday that would open federal waters off the California coast to new oil and gas leasing for the first time in four decades and reignite a long-simmering fight with Florida Republicans over drilling along that state’s Gulf Coast.

The proposed five-year schedule for offshore oil and gas leasing represents the most aggressive in decades, with the Interior Department considering as many as 34 auctions in federal waters between 2026 and 2031. That includes as many as six sales off the Southern California coast, two in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and 21 sales off of Alaska, including in an area of the High Arctic previously untouched by oil drilling — though many of the most controversial auctions are not set to take place until after President Donald Trump is set to leave office.

The administration’s announcement also sticks an oily thumb into the eye of the international climate community currently meeting in Brazil to discuss, among other things, ways to ratchet down global greenhouse gas emissions.

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By:  James Bikales
Source: Politico