Californians were already gearing up for battle even before the Trump administration released a draft plan on Nov. 20 that proposes a broad expansion of oil and gas drilling and lease sales along America's coasts, including California, Alaska and west of Florida.

The Department of the Interior announced as many as 34 potential offshore lease sales across 21 of 27 existing Outer Continental Shelf planning areas, covering roughly 1.27 billion acres. That includes 21 areas off the coast of Alaska, seven in the Gulf of America and six along the Pacific coast.

The plan quickly drew opposition from state leaders and environmental groups – and support from some business organizations. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office fully opposes the plan.

"California takes our responsibility to steward our environment and natural resources seriously — we are not a rich man’s playground, and the President cannot come and extract resources as he pleases," Bonta said. "California will not stand by while the Trump Administration marches in and make a mess of our coastal towns and waterways in order to line the pockets of its wealthy friends."

Less than an hour later, a delegation of U.S. senators and representatives from California and Florida launched a Zoom call with the media criticizing the plan.

"California is not the East Wing of the White House," Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-California, said during the call, urging people to participate in the administration's public comment period.

When early details were leaked in November, California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on his social media that any plan to expand drilling or sell leases off California would be "dead on arrival." Newsom reiterated his previous stance in a post on X on Nov. 20.

“Donald Trump’s idiotic proposal to sell off California’s coasts to his Big Oil donors is dead in the water,” Newsom said. “We will not stand by as our coastal economy and communities are put in danger.”

Multiple municipalities and environmental organizations in California will be ready with lawsuits in tow, said Professor Richard Frank, director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at the University of California, Davis.

"There is a widespread, bipartisan consensus in the state against offshore drilling if the Trump administration attempts to pursue," Frank told USA TODAY. "It would be quite the battle."

Burgum's order implements provisions of President Donald Trump's executive order earlier this year "Unleashing American Energy" and implements provisions of his sweeping tax and health care legislation.

What's in this phase of the oil drilling plan?

In a quick summary of the plan, Earthjustice said it proposes drilling off California for the first time since 1984, with six offshore lease sales between 2027 and 2030, drilling in the eastern Gulf of America and "every available offshore area in Alaska, including the High Arctic, which stretches 200 miles into the Arctic Ocean, with over 20 lease sales through 2031.

Earlier in the fall, the administration announced plans to expand drilling in the Alaskan wilderness.

A news release from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum attacked the Biden administration, saying the new proposal replaces the "smallest offshore leasing plan ever published by an administration with one that fully addresses the nation’s growing energy needs."

"The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America’s offshore production," Burgum stated. "By moving forward with the development of a robust, forward-thinking leasing plan, we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry stays strong, our workers stay employed, and our nation remains energy dominant for decades to come."

The department describes its 2026-2032 National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program as a "major step to boost United States energy independence and sustain domestic oil and gas production."

Federal lawmakers react

Several California members of Congress participated in the Nov. 20 Zoom call, as well as Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Florida.

“Our coastal economy is not for sale,” said Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California.

California lawmakers held up maps of the United States during the call and alleged that the reason no new lease sales are proposed off the U.S. East Coast is because of the opposition from Republican officials while the proposal was being prepared.

"That’s why Florida and the Atlantic Coast isn’t in the plan," said Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. There's "plenty of Republicans who understand how reckless" this is.

Earlier this year, Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Florida, sponsored a bill to prohibit oil drilling and natural gas exploration and development near Florida’s coastline and extend an existing drilling moratorium that includes Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to 2032.

Environmental organizations react

In a statement, Earthjustice senior attorney Brettny Hardy said the administration "is threatening to impose offshore oil drilling on states, cities, and communities that have fought against it for decades."

"Trump’s plan would risk the health and well-being of millions of people who live along our coasts. It would also devastate countless ocean ecosystems that both humans and wildlife rely on," Hardy stated. "This administration continues to put the oil industry above people, our shared environment, and the law."

The oil and gas industry has previously pledged support for the administration's plan, urging in a June 2025 letter that all areas be considered that have the potential to generate jobs, revenue and "advance America’s energy dominance."

Widespread opposition is expected from additional environmental groups who fear the damage that could occur by opening drilling in new areas, and from organizations that have supported a push for cleaner energy to curb climate warming, made worse by greenhouse gas emissions.

The program would "open all waters along the coasts of California to oil and gas leasing under the next five-year program, along with parts of Alaska, the Arctic and the eastern Gulf that have previously been protected," Defenders of Wildlife said.

The leasing proposal would also allow offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, including Florida, outside of a 100-mile “buffer,” said Oceana, an ocean conservation organization. Oceana's Joseph Gordon called the plan "an oil spill nightmare."

Previous oil spills fuel concern

Almost 70% of California’s nearly 40 million residents live near coastal waters, further strengthening the offshore drilling apprehension, Frank said.

California lawmakers on Nov. 20 repeatedly referred to the strong bipartisan pressure that has opposed oil drilling expansion after at least three separate oil spills, in 1969, 2015 and 2021.

The major spill off Santa Barbara in 1969 blanketed the coast southward to the Mexican border, killing thousands of birds and an unknown number of mammals. That spill – more than four million gallons of oil – was one of the largest in the nation at the time.

Occurring just eight days after Richard Nixon was inaugurated, the Santa Barbara spill was credited with helping to shape the landmark environmental policies his administration adopted, such as the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

It also helped lead to the creation of Earth Day in April 1970 and prompted congressional action on how coastal areas should be managed.

In Florida, areas are still recovering from the impacts of the Deep Water Horizon spill in the Gulf, Castor said. "Fisheries collapsed, birds were covered in sludge and tourism went on life support."

"Florida is a special place, but it is a fragile place," Castor said, but it relies on clean water and clean beaches. She added that the plan will drill in places in the Gulf that were previously protected, including by the Trump administration.

Support also emerges for the plan

Business groups also reacted quickly to the announcement, offering support for the administration's goals for the expanded leasing program

“Manufacturers welcome the Department of the Interior’s plan to expand offshore oil and gas development," said Charles Crain, the National Association of Manufacturers' managing vice president of policy. It takes a "critical step to unleash American energy dominance and drive down energy prices," Crain said.

Mike Sommers, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said the plan includes including some of the most promising acreage offered in generations, as a secure source of affordable, reliable energy.

“After years of delay in federal leasing, this is a historic step toward unleashing our nation’s vast offshore resources," Sommers said.

The US Chamber’s Christopher Guith said the "ambitious proposal would put offshore oil and natural gas production back on track after the previous program was allowed to lapse, resulting in a severe gap in new lease sales."

"The Administration’s plan will help America continue to lead the world in oil and natural gas production, boosting our energy security while delivering oil and gas with the lowest emissions intensity in the world," Guith said.

How can you comment on the program?

The comment period on the 1st Analysis and Proposal opens Nov. 24. The Interior Department said it prefers comments to be submitted online, at this page that will be available when the comment period opens. Search for Docket ID BOEM-2025-0483.

The department also will accept comments in writing, in an envelope labeled “Comments for the 11th National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program,” and addressed to Kelly Hammerle, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (VAM-LD), 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166-9216.

When the comment period concludes, a proposed program will be announced, with an additional 90-day comment period before the program is sent to Congress for consideration.

Dinah Voyles Pulver and Terry Collins are national correspondents for USA TODAY. Reach them at dpulver@usatoday.com and tcollins@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration releases its expanded oil and gas drilling plan

Reporting by Dinah Voyles Pulver and Terry Collins, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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