While at COP30, many countries want the world to do more in the transition to carbon-free energy, Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday announced plans to allow oil and gas drilling in millions of square kilometers of America’s coastal waters. This move could lead to a massive expansion of fossil fuel extraction.
The plan underscores the growing gap between the United States, which abandoned COP30 in Brazil, and much of the rest of the world seeking to limit the impacts of climate change. The project plans to open 34 drilling leases in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of California and along the north coast of Alaska, in natural areas that have never been drilled before.
API’s Dustin Meyer explains how @OutbackThe proposed five-year offshore leasing program supports jobs, long-term investment, energy security, and affordability for families and businesses. pic.twitter.com/lO0d0r0e9A
— American Petroleum Institute (@APIenergy) November 20, 2025
In total, more than 500 million hectares of land are accessible to the oil and gas industry, equivalent to the size of the Amazon. With this plan, “we are ensuring that America’s offshore industry remains strong, that our workers stay employed and that our country remains energy dominant for decades to come,” said U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, criticizing the previous Biden administration for “putting the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing.”
Even under the Joe Biden administration, which set ambitious US climate goals and implemented drilling restrictions, US oil production reached historic highs.
For Trump, climate change is a “fraud”
Since returning to power, Donald Trump has frequently described climate change as a “fraud”. He has methodically rolled back his predecessor’s environmental policies, withdrew from the Paris agreement to limit global warming, and made clear that he wants to drill for hydrocarbons at all costs.
However, the project announced on Thursday risks facing opposition, including from California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who immediately denounced Trump’s “foolish plan.” “Irresponsible attempts to sell our coastline to oil donors are doomed to failure,” he assured in a press release, while his state has long banned new offshore drilling. “We will use all the tools at our disposal to protect our coastline,” he promised.
Tourist countries bordering the Gulf of Mexico, still fond of memories of the giant oil spill caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in 2010, are also likely to object. Republican Senator from Florida Rick Scott, for example, expressed his opposition to X.
