{"id":16273,"date":"2019-05-05T22:07:23","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T22:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=16273"},"modified":"2019-05-06T00:51:22","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T00:51:22","slug":"trump-offshore-drilling-plan-may-be-dead-in-the-water-but-there-are-better-ways-to-lead-on-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/trump-offshore-drilling-plan-may-be-dead-in-the-water-but-there-are-better-ways-to-lead-on-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump offshore drilling plan may be dead in the water, but there are better ways to lead on energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott L. Montgomery<\/a>, University of Washington<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

President Trump\u2019s effort to expand offshore oil and gas exploration has stalled, and may be dead in the water. The newest obstacle is an April ruling in Alaska\u2019s U.S. District Court<\/a> that blocked Trump\u2019s order to lift a ban on energy leasing in Arctic waters. <\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s 2018 order<\/a> opening nearly all U.S. coastal waters to offshore drilling is now in limbo, and may be significantly revised<\/a>. If Trump is voted out in 2020, the plan won\u2019t survive. And even if he is reelected, there are logical arguments for shelving it.<\/p>\n

In my view, this proposal has always been more political than practical. What\u2019s more, there is plenty of accessible oil and gas on land \u2013 as well as renewable energy resources that would do much more to advance Trump\u2019s \u201cenergy dominance\u201d doctrine.<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>
\n Draft plan for expanded offshore oil and gas leasing, released by the Interior Department on Jan. 4, 2018.<\/span>
\n BOEM<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Offshore drilling is a political loser<\/h2>\n

Unlike the boom in production on land, which is popular in energy-rich states, expanding offshore leasing and drilling has met almost unbroken resistance.
\nSix states<\/a> have passed legislation in the past year opposing it. In Florida, where coastal tourism is one of the largest industries, anger at the plan crosses partisan lines<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The only state where there is strong support for offshore drilling is Alaska, which is highly dependent on oil and gas revenue. Here, though, there has been much recent drilling success<\/a> onshore and in adjacent state waters.<\/p>\n

Republicans fear losing voters in coastal states over this issue in 2020. Recent polls indicate that two-thirds of adults living within 25 miles of a coast oppose offshore leasing<\/a>. Few Americans have forgotten the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill<\/a> and its impacts on tourism, fishing and other coastal industries.<\/p>\n

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