Trump's offshore oil ambitions sinking
A clumsy roll-out has imperiled a plan to open nearly all of America's waters to drilling
"After talking with @FLGovScott, I am removing #Florida from the draft offshore plan," the US interior secretary Ryan Zinke tweeted on 9 January. It's a tweet he and the Trump administration could come to regret. The announcement came after a meeting with Florida's Republican governor Rick Scott in which the latter had lobbied Zinke to remove the state from a recently released draft proposal that would open waters off nearly every inch of America's coastlines to oil and gas drilling. Zinke's quick acquiescence to Scott's request raised protests from nearly every corner. Democrats saw a cheap political stunt. The prospect of offshore drilling is deeply unpopular in Florida, where coastal comm
Also in this section
12 December 2025
The latest edition of our annual Outlook publication, titled 'The shape of energy to come: Creating unique pathways and managing shifting alliances', is available now
12 December 2025
The federal government is working with Alberta to improve the country’s access to Asian markets and reduce dependence on the US, but there are challenges to their plans
11 December 2025
The removal of the ban on oil and gas exploration and an overhaul of the system sends all the right messages for energy security, affordability and sustainability
10 December 2025
The economic and environmental cost of the seven-year exploration ban will be felt long after its removal
