Could offshore drilling ruin America's coastlines? Some are worried.

The Trump administration's plan to expand offshore drilling over more than 1.2 billion acres of ocean worries coastal residents, tourism industry.

Nature lovers, scientists and politicians worry the beloved California coastline, from the Redwoods to Santa Monica, will be endangered by the Trump administration's latest call for expanded offshore drilling.

While oil and gas industry leaders lauded the plan, environmentalists and a group of California legislators quickly blasted it, fearing the potential havoc an oil spill or other accident could wreak on tourism and natural resources along the coast. They say the millions of tourists and residents who visit the scenic locations contribute tens of billions to the state's coastal economy.

The worries extend far beyond California, to Florida’s beachfront economy and to remote and protected wilderness areas in Alaska.

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By:  Dinah Voyles Pulver, Terry Collins
Source: USA TODAY

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