Trump Plans To Expand Offshore Drilling In Pacific And Atlantic

The Trump administration has proposed a controversial plan to open up protected areas in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans for offshore drilling.

The five-year plan expands drilling to most of the US outer continental shelf, including California and Maine, where drilling has been blocked for decades.
Environmentalists called it a “shameful giveaway” to the oil industry.
The move fulfils US President Donald Trump’s promise to boost domestic oil and natural gas production.
US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke unveiled the plan on Thursday, saying it would boost the US economy.
“This is a clear difference between energy weakness and energy dominance,” he told reporters in a conference call.
“We are going to become the strongest energy superpower.”
The Draft Five Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Programme, which would be the most expansive drilling plan in decades, was immediately opposed by a coalition of 60 environmental groups, nearly a dozen attorneys general and more than 100 US lawmakers.
“These ocean waters are not President Trump’s personal playground,” read a statement signed by members of the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, League of Conservation Voters and other environmental groups.