6 - Oceans

Summary

The Trump administration proposed to open drilling in the Atlantic and the Pacific and parts of the Arctic Coast where little to no drilling has occurred. It proposed to open more offshore areas to drilling despite the dangers posed to coastal economies and the fact that companies have drilled on only one-fifth of the 28 million acres already leased offshore. Congress abandoned its decades-long protection of the coastal region of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, opening that pristine region, with only limited oil reserves, to drilling. The administration held a fire sale of leases offshore, costing the American public a potential fortune in terms of revenue while foreclosing other options for the use of public seas during the lease period. Not surprisingly, a number of state governments, some in the hands of Republicans, challenged drilling in federal waters off their coasts. Fears that offshore drilling might doom their election chances motivated the vast majority of Republican congressional representatives to request exemptions from Trump for their individual states. They chose not to exercise united congressional power to check the president’s actions, declining to support legislation that would have protected all states located on the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts.