1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

Fossil fuel industry donors are getting their money’s worth from this president. Trump’s proposal to auction off 1.27 billion acres of public waters off California, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Arctic Ocean for oil and gas drilling is the latest return on that investment. The cost, however, will be paid by everyday Americans who live and work along our coasts. We are saying no—and Congress must too. A recent analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity estimates that Trump’s plan could result in 4,000 additional oil spills. This comes as the administration has rolled back key safety regulations and cut the staff responsible for enforcing them. At the same time, climate change is fueling stronger and more frequent hurricanes, further increasing the risks of offshore drilling. Even during routine operations, drilling produces toxic waste that harms ecosystems people and wildlife depend on. We all remember the devastation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Expanded offshore drilling would again put tourism, recreation, and fishing—industries that employ millions and generate billions in economic activity—at risk. Public health would suffer from increased pollution. (Notably, drilling would remain banned off Mar-a-Lago under Trump’s proposal.) The Department of Defense has also warned that offshore drilling could interfere with military readiness, particularly where lease areas overlap with the Gulf Test Range. All of this would only deepen the climate crisis. That is why two-thirds of American voters support protections against offshore drilling, and why more than 400 municipalities, 59,000 businesses, and elected officials from Gavin Newsom to Ron DeSantis have opposed its expansion. We urge you to make clear to the White House that you will fight to stop this plan from moving forward. More broadly, Congress should act to permanently protect our coasts by advancing bipartisan legislation such as the COAST Anti-Drilling Act, the West Coast Ocean Protection Act, the Florida Coastal Protection Act, the Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act, and the Defend Our Coast Act. Americans want affordable energy. The answer is investing in wind and solar—not putting coastal communities at risk for Big Oil profits.