WP EXCLUSIVE
Trump plan would open California to offshore oil drilling

A draft five-year plan for offshore oil development proposes selling leases on the West Coast, Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.

November 10, 2025 at 6:50 p.m. EST Yesterday at 6:50 p.m. EST
4 min


A deepwater oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2018. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg News)

By Jake Spring and Evan Halper
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jake-spring/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/evan-halper/

Trump officials are planning to propose oil drilling off the California coast for the first time in decades, according to a draft map reviewed by The Washington Post, a move sure to antagonize Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democrats in California.

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By Jake Spring
Jake Spring covers the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior and Congressional energy and environmental policy. Send him secure tips on Signal at jspring.99follow on X@jakespring
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/jake-spring/

By Evan Halper
Evan Halper is a business reporter for The Washington Post, covering the energy transition. His work focuses on the tensions between energy demands and decarbonizing the economy. He came to The Post from the Los Angeles Times, where he spent two decades, most recently covering domestic policy and presidential politics from its Washington bureau.follow on X@evanhalper
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/evan-halper/