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Natural resources

Senators Demand Trump Reverse Plan to Open New Offshore Oil and Gas Leases

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Alex Padilla, along with House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman and House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, have issued a joint statement demanding that President Trump immediately cease any plans to open new offshore oil and gas leases in U.S. federal waters. The lawmakers warn that this would devastate coastal economies, jeopardize national security, and put the health and safety of millions of Americans at risk.

Key Takeaways:

  • The lawmakers have demanded that President Trump and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum halt any steps toward new offshore oil and gas leasing in the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Eastern Gulf.
  • The administration's plan would cause significant environmental damage, ravage coastal ecosystems, and suppress the value of coastal homes, harm tourism economies, and weaken coastal infrastructure.
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has to respond to over 150 oil and chemical spills each year, with one disastrous spill costing taxpayers billions in lost revenue, cleanup costs, and ecosystem restoration.
  • The administration has already dismantled NOAA's oil spill prevention and response programs, laying off or encouraging early retirement for almost 30 percent of the team in charge of addressing oil spills.
  • The Department of Defense (DOD) has warned that oil and gas leases in portions of the Eastern Gulf would impact areas critical to military readiness, including for military training and testing opportunities and assets.
  • The lawmakers have condemned the potential expansion of offshore drilling while the administration simultaneously curtails offshore wind and clean energy development.
  • The letter is signed by 33 U.S. Senators and 89 U.S. Representatives, as well as several environmental advocacy groups, including Food & Water Watch, Oceana, and the Surfrider Foundation.
  • The senators have proposed two bills to permanently protect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from oil and gas drilling, which would prohibit new leases and production in specific offshore areas.

Statistics:

  • Over 150 oil and chemical spills each year in U.S. federal waters (NOAA)
  • Up to $1 billion in lost revenue, cleanup costs, and ecosystem restoration for one disastrous oil spill (NOAA)
  • 30% of NOAA's oil spill prevention and response team laid off or encouraged to take early retirement (administration)
  • $679 million in offshore-wind-related port infrastructure funding withdrawn or eliminated (Trump administration)
  • 89 signatories to the joint letter, including Senators Cory Booker, Alex Padilla, and Frank Pallone, and Representatives Jared Huffman and 87 others (list of signatories in source text)
  • 33 U.S. Senators who have signed the letter in support of the proposed bills (source text)

Sources:

  • Booker, Padilla, Huffman, and Pallone. (2023, October 30). Booker, Padilla, Huffman, Pallone Demand Trump Reverse Plan to Open New Offshore Oil and Gas Leases. Retrieved from
  • Food & Water Watch. (2023, October 30). Press Release: Senators Demand Trump Reverse Plan to Open New Offshore Oil and Gas Leases. Retrieved from
  • Oceana. (2023, October 30). Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Cory Booker, Representitive Jared Huffman, and Representative Frank Pallone Call on President Trump to Halt Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling. Retrieved from

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