The Trump administration is preparing to open our oceans to new offshore oil and gas drilling

The Trump administration is preparing to open large areas of our oceans to new offshore oil and gas drilling, and I'm leading the fight to stop it.

Opening these fragile coastal waters to drilling would devastate communities, economies, and ecosystems. Coastal towns that rely on fishing, tourism, and recreation would be put at risk. And we know from experience that when drilling expands, oil spills follow.

NOAA already responds to more than 150 oil and chemical spills every year. One major spill can kill marine life, wipe out small businesses, contaminate beaches for generations, and cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

This isn't about energy security. The United States already leads the world in oil and gas production. Oil companies already hold more than 2,000 offshore leases — covering over 12 million acres of federal waters — and fewer than 500 of those leases are even producing oil or gas. There is simply no justification to open untouched coastal areas when existing leases go unused.

And while the administration is trying to ramp up drilling, it is simultaneously dismantling the very programs designed to prevent and respond to spills. The Trump administration has hollowed out NOAA's oil spill prevention and response operations — nearly 30 percent of the team has been laid off or pushed into early retirement, and the remaining program is slated to lose half its funding in next year's budget. That means more drilling, less oversight, and no plan to protect coastal communities when things go wrong.

This is reckless, dangerous, and totally avoidable. Our coastal economies, our national security, and our environment should never be sacrificed for short-term fossil fuel profits.

I'll keep pushing to stop this plan in its tracks and defend our oceans and coastal communities — because once these places are damaged, there's no going back.

Onward,

Jeff