The Trump administration announced a new plan to open areas off the coasts of California and Florida to oil drilling for the first time in decades, aiming to boost U.S. energy production and reinforce what President Trump calls “energy dominance” in global markets.

Offshore drilling in federal waters near Florida and part of Alabama has been banned since 1995 due to fears over oil spills, while California has maintained a moratorium on new federal leases since the mid-1980s, though some rigs still operate.

The big picture: The initiative is part of the administration’s broader rollback of climate change policies instituted under President Biden, focusing instead on fossil fuel development like oil, coal, and natural gas, and sidelining renewable energy sources such as offshore wind. •

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