"Conservationists say increased drilling could threaten already endangered marine species with extinction."
"A sweeping proposal by the Trump administration to expand offshore oil and gas drilling could result in more than 4,000 oil spills in U.S. waters, according to a new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity.
Trump’s draft proposal, announced last November, would authorize up to 34 offshore oil and gas lease sales over the next five years. That would open as much as 1.27 billion acres of federal waters to drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, off California and along Alaska’s coast—an expansion that far exceeds leasing offered under previous administrations. These new leases would come on top of the 36 additional offshore lease sales mandated by Congress under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
If the plan is enacted, it could lead to the release of more than 12 million gallons of crude into some of the nation’s most ecologically important marine areas—some of which have never been drilled before, researchers report.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management—the federal agency charged with implementing the plan if it moves forward—did not respond to multiple requests for comment."
Teresa Tomassoni reports for Inside Climate News February 1, 2026.
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