October 24, 2025 — The Trump administration is readying a proposal to open almost all U.S. coastal waters to new offshore oil drilling despite opposition from state governors and the president’s previous efforts to close off some of the territory. The draft plan for selling oil leases includes waters near the southeast U.S. that President Donald Trump tried to close off while campaigning for reelection five years ago, a nod to Republican allies worried about the risk of spills fouling beaches and their tourism-tied economies.
Trump plans to open almost all of coast to offshore drilling
Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg News