New Offshore Drilling Plan Threatens $250 Billion Coastal Economy
The Trump administration’s proposal threatens wildlife, ecosystems, communities, businesses, and our climate. Surfrider urges the public to submit comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (November 20, 2025) — The Surfrider Foundation strongly objects to the federal administration’s proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2026 - 2031. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s dangerous proposal would open up California, the Gulf of Mexico, including the previously protected waters off of Florida, and Alaska, including the pristine High Arctic, where drilling has never been attempted before because of the hazards — putting coastal ecosystems, communities, and businesses in these areas at serious risk. Surfrider calls on elected officials and members of the public to register official opposition during the current public comment period, beginning on November 24, 2025.
“The Surfrider Foundation is strongly opposed to the Trump administration's plans to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters”, said Dr. Chad Nelsen, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation. “New leases in the 5-year drilling plan will damage our coastlines and communities, while threatening coastal recreation and tourism industries that contribute billions of dollars to our nation’s economy. New drilling will also increase the likelihood of another catastrophic oil spill. We call on the President and Congress to reject new offshore oil drilling off U.S. coasts.”
Offshore drilling is an existential threat to our coastal recreation, tourism, and fishing industries that generate billions of dollars for the U.S. economy. These industries depend on a clean and healthy coastal and ocean environment, and provide around 3.3 million jobs and $250 billion in GDP. Ocean tourism and recreation provide nearly ten times the amount of jobs as the offshore oil industry. Even in the Gulf of Mexico, where most offshore drilling occurs, the ocean-dependent sectors of tourism, recreation, and fishing of every Gulf state, except Texas, provide the largest employment contributions.
The U.S. does not need new offshore leasing to meet its national energy needs. The oil and gas industry already has over 1,800 fully approved, but unused drilling permits that they are sitting on across the U.S. Moreover, consumer relief at the pump will never be found at the bottom of a new offshore oil well. Gas prices are determined by global markets and would not be significantly impacted by new offshore drilling in U.S. waters, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Instead of doubling down on harmful offshore drilling, the U.S. should embrace comprehensive and environmentally sustainable energy solutions, including energy conservation.
Offshore drilling is broadly unpopular across the country. More than 400 municipalities, 2,500 elected officials, 59,000 businesses, and 500,000 fishing families have formally opposed new offshore oil and gas development. A 2024 poll found strong support amongst Americans for protecting U.S. waters. Two-thirds of American voters (64%) support their elected officials protecting U.S. coastlines from new offshore drilling, with similar support among registered voters in coastal states (66%). More recent polling in 2025 finds even stronger public support to protect public lands and waters, with 83% of voters agreeing that we need to elect leaders who will prioritize nature and protect our lands, waters, and wildlife.
In late 2023, the Biden administration finalized a 5-year offshore drilling program with three lease sales, the lowest number of leases ever offered, representing a move toward the ocean energy future that meets our climate needs. Nearly one million comments and petitions were submitted to the Biden administration calling for an end to new offshore drilling before the release of the final Five-Year Plan.
In January 2025, outgoing President Biden took decisive action to protect more than 625 million acres of U.S. waters, including the East Coast, the West Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska, from future oil and gas leasing. These protections were short-lived, as President Trump signed an executive order that illegally revoked the offshore drilling ban. Surfrider has joined partners in filing lawsuits to restore these protections that remain ongoing.
The Surfrider Foundation is waging a national campaign, #DrillingIsKilling, to stop the federal government from approving new offshore oil and gas drilling off our coasts. We call upon communities, elected officials, businesses, and the public to submit comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in opposition to the offshore drilling proposal. The recent rejection by Congress of a proposal to sell millions of acres of public lands shows the enormous power of citizen engagement. Without a massive mobilization by the public, our voice will be drowned out by the lobbying power of Big Oil in Washington, D.C.
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About the Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean, waves, and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over one million supporters, activists, and members, with more than 200 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 900 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.