Trump Administration plans to vastly expand offshore drilling may be on hold for the time being.
Last week, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said that legal challenges to their offshore drilling plan may force them to wait for a final court resolution before continuing to move forward on expansion. Federal judges have ordered a halt to the expansions, pending possible review on appeal.
Trump’s plans to open most of the United States’ Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific coastlines to offshore oil and gas drilling drew immediate, bipartisan resistance from the public and elected officials across the country. Except for Alaska, all the state governors on those coastlines, Republicans and Democrats, have come out in opposition, and criticism of the drilling plans has become a staple of 2020 presidential candidates’ positions.
Environmental advocates are pleased by the possibility that offshore drilling expansion plans could be put on hold, but are reacting with caution. National League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Conservation Program Director Alex Taurel issued the following statement: “Whether or not a decision has been made by Secretary Bernhardt, it’s clear that he should listen to coastal communities and the courts and permanently discard his unpopular plan to dramatically expand risky offshore drilling off our cherished coasts.”
It’s also clear that the ultimate decision on this critical issue is most likely to depend on the outcome of the 2020 elections. Part of the calculus is pressure from coastal Republican senators up for re-election next year, like North Carolina’s Thom Tillis, who know their constituents are not happy about drilling off their coasts. And the ultimate decision on drilling plans will lie with whoever is elected the next president. In a statement of its own, NCLCV said, “[Trump] shouldn’t just suspend his offshore drilling plan — he should scrap it forever. Hopefully by 2021 we’ll have a new president committed to protecting our coast, acting on climate, and establishing Clean Energy for All.”
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