GULF OF AMERICA – The Trump administration has been making moves to open up oil and gas drilling to create jobs and lead energy security. As part of the federal government’s latest plan, offshore drilling could be opening up off the coast of Florida, after years of being off limits.
What we know:
Several environmental groups, including Healthy Gulf, the Center for Biological Diversity and others filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the federal government for its plan to put more oil rigs in the Gulf. (https://biologicaldiversity.org/programs/oceans/pdfs/Complaint-for-Declaratory-and-Injunctive-Relief-11.18.25.pdf)
“Our lawsuit is asking the court to stop the Trump administration from issuing leases until it fully complies with the law. So that means actually considering the environmental consequences of its actions,” said Rachel Mathews, a senior attorney in the Oceans Program at the Center for Biological Diversity. “When a federal agency is taking a major action like auctioning off 80 million acres of our oceans to the oil industry, they are supposed to comply with a law called the National Environmental Policy Act, which basically requires them to look before they leap and consider the environmental consequences of their actions.”
The lawsuit argues that the Fed hasn’t done its part in reviewing potential environmental impacts.
“All you can do is try and minimize the harm. And that’s what the government should be doing,” said Mathews.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management plans to hold a sale on December 10 auctioning off 80 million acres in the Gulf bordering Texas and Louisiana to the Florida-Alabama border.
Dig deeper:
The plan auctions off 80 million acres for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf, and an expanded plan announced Thursday includes six offshore leases in the eastern Gulf, 100 miles off the coast of Florida. Oil rigs would not be visible from the beach, but environmental advocates argue that doesn’t matter.
“That’s always been a debate. I mean, if you see it, does it really exist? So the bottom line is whether you see it or not, you’re going to feel and see the impacts of it,” said Martha Collins, the executive director of Healthy Gulf in St. Petersburg. “It’s not just a rig off the shore. There has to be a pipeline that gets that oil to the land, and then there has to a processing plant on land to be able to process that product.”
According to the U.S. Department of Interior, the Secretary’s “Unleashing American Offshore Energy” order takes steps to restore energy dominance, create jobs and address the nation’s growing energy needs. (https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-launches-expansive-11th-national-offshore-leasing-program-advance-us-energy)
What they’re saying:
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:
Environmental groups said the proposal breaks decades of precedent and bipartisan protection. It also goes back on President Trump’s word when he signed a moratorium in 2020 on drilling off Florida’s coasts through 2032.
U.S. Senator Rick Scott. R-Florida, posted on X Thursday saying, “Florida’s beautiful beaches and coastal waters are so important to our state’s economy, environment, and military community, which is why I have fought for years to keep drilling off Florida’s coasts and worked closely with President Trump during his first term to extend the moratorium banning oil drilling off Florida’s coasts through 2032. I have been speaking to @SecretaryBurgum and made my expectations clear that this moratorium must remain in place, and that in any plan, Florida’s coasts must remain off the table for oil drilling to protect Florida’s tourism, environment, and military training opportunities.”
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried sent a statement saying, “Trump’s proposal to open Florida’s coasts to drilling is a nonstarter. Our sensitive, pristine natural environments are not up for auction to the highest bidder, no matter what Trump has promised his big oil donors. Florida has a long history of bipartisan support against drilling off our coastlines. Our state’s fragile ecosystem and economy would be irreparably harmed if this proposal were to move forward. We’re just 15 years past the horrific tragedy of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. To open our state up to another such attack on our precious natural resources would be a travesty. I call upon all Floridians who care about our State to demand a full stop to any proposal that would open our Gulf or Atlantic Coasts to drilling.”
A spokesperson from the office of Governor Ron DeSantis sent FOX13 a statement saying in part, “In 2020, during his first term, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum withdrawing new leasing for oil and gas developments off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina until 2032. Offshore oil and gas drilling is also prohibited in state waters through an amendment to Florida’s Constitution (Article II, Section 7) which was approved by 68.92% of voters in 2018. While Florida and the Eastern Gulf of America region do not have the same oil and gas reserves as other states in the region, the state has active sites where drilling occurs on land.”
The governor’s office went on to say that unlike other areas within the Gulf of America, the Eastern Gulf off Florida is home to the Gulf Testing Range, which the Trump administration considers a critical national asset for its military forces. The governor’s press secretary said in closing, “Our Administration supports the 2020 Presidential Memorandum and urges the Department of Interior to reconsider and to conform to the 2020 Trump Administration policy.
What’s next:
Public comment for the proposal opens for 60 days, November 24. https://www.boem.gov/oil-gas-energy/national-program/national-ocs-oil-and-gas-leasing-program
The Source: The information in this story from the U.S. Department of Interior, Governor Ron DeSantis’ office and the environmental lawsuit was gathered by FOX13’s Briona Arradondo.