September 9, 2020 — President Donald Trump brushed back critics of his record on the environment in the crucial swing state of Florida Tuesday during a visit to Palm Beach County by signing a presidential order that extends and expands a ban on drilling off the state’s coastline.
The order — which Trump signed atop a stage not far from the mouth of the Loxahatchee River — extends by 10 years the life of a moratorium that previously prohibited drilling in federal waters off Florida’s Gulf Coast until July 1, 2022. He said it also expanded the ban on energy exploration, development and production to include the Atlantic coast off Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.