Trump Unveils 5-Year Offshore Oil Leasing Expansion Plan

The Trump administration announced a comprehensive five-year plan on Thursday to expand offshore oil and gas leasing, proposing up to 34 lease sales from 2026 to 2031 in federal waters off the coasts of California, Florida, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. The initiative, unveiled by the Interior Department, marks the first potential new federal leases off California in nearly four decades and lifts restrictions in parts of the Gulf near Florida, aiming to increase domestic fossil fuel production amid global energy demands.

The plan includes six lease sales along the California coastline between 2027 and 2030, targeting areas from northern to southern regions, including the Central Coast and Southern California. Off Florida, it proposes sales in the South-Central Gulf of Mexico, at least 100 miles from shore, distinguishing these zones from the Eastern Gulf moratorium established in 1995. In Alaska, more than 20 sales are slated, encompassing the southern Gulf of Alaska, the northern Beaufort Sea and a new High Arctic area over 200 miles offshore. Additional sales would occur in the central Gulf, primarily off Texas and Louisiana. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described the...