The administration also proposed opening to drilling an area that had been considered part of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, a plan that could rankle Florida Republicans.
It proposes to hold six auctions for drilling rights off California's coast over the next several years.
It also proposes to auction off the right to drill in an area that includes part of the Gulf that had been considered part of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico. However, the Trump administration is now calling the region the "South-Central Gulf of America." Maps of both areas indicate that there is overlap between what had been considered Eastern and is now being called "South-Central."
In both California and Florida, offshore drilling is controversial — many Florida Republicans, as well as Florida Democrats, oppose drilling because of the importance of beach tourism to the state's economy and the potential for spills.
President Trump's proposal greatly expands offshore drilling plans in general, proposing to hold as many as 34 offshore oil and gas lease sales between the years 2026 and 2031.
It would replace a Biden administration-era plan that proposed just three offshore lease sales, all in the Gulf of Mexico, between the years 2024 and 2029.
The new plan would hold 21 lease sales off the coast of Alaska in addition to the six in California and seven in the Gulf. Of the Gulf sales, five would take place in the less-controversial western and central gulf while the other two would take place in an area that includes parts of the eastern Gulf.
California hasn't seen a new lease sale off its coasts since 1984, though some drilling occurs there under previously issued leases. Drilling off the California coast has been controversial since a major 1969 oil spill soaked beaches in oil.
The proposal sets up a clash with Trump rival Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) who has already condemned the prospect of drilling off California's coast.
Read more at TheHill.com.
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