Trump administration planning oil and gas drilling off the coast of California.

Question

The Trump administration is planning to allow oil and gas drilling on and around the California coast. Drilling in California waters has not been done in decades. According to many reports the plan of the oil and gas drilling includes six leases during the years 2027 and 2030 in addition to that they plan on expanding drilling in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico. These changes shows a shift in the U.S. energy plans because drilling off the coast of California has been outlawed since a oil spill in Santa Barbra in 1969. The proposal of the drilling has begun to start conterversy due to high risks to costal communities and tourism. Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke about how he is strongly opposed to the plan and called it "dead on arrival" in Califonia while he was attending a climate change conferance in Brazil. Other climate and enviromental groups have also shown critizism towards the plan such as Surfrider Foundation, they argued that it casues destructive oil spills that would damage the coastline and local economies. Although unclear how much intrest the oil and gas intrusty would have in califonia when compared to the Gulf of Mexico, This situation shows the tenstion between federal energy goals and enviromental goals as well as larger debates over public saftety and economic develpoment.

Answer 1

Your claim that the Trump administration is “planning oil and gas drilling off the coast of California” is true. Your source The Guardian is typically reputable, but does have a left-leaning bias which should be considered as the topic is surrounding Trump’s Republican administration. However, your claim is supported by a few other sources such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Institute for Energy Research (IER). The IER is a right-leaning media source which confirms the claims of the left-leaning source, suggesting legitimacy in the information. These sources confirm that Trump’s administration is pushing for a five year plan  for offshore oil and natural gas drilling off the California coast for the first time in four decades. However, The Guardian suggests that the California state governor Gavin Newsom is heavily opposed to this proposition and plans to shut it down. While the Trump administrations intentions are to authorize drilling, the idea is highly unpopular amongst the country and California officials which makes the authorization unlikely. 

https://adfontesmedia.com/the-guardian-bias-and-reliability/

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/fossil-fuels/trump-includes-california-in-its-draft-offshore-lease-plan/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/climate/offshore-drilling-california-trump-newsom.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/11/10/offshore-drilling-california-gulf-alaska/

 

Answer 2

The statement outlined in this claim is true. This is because Federal Documents and other reports show that the Trump administration proposed new offshore oul and gas lease sales along the California coast. According to The Guardian, the draft 2027-2032 offshore leasing plan includes 6 potential lease sales in California waters, which connects with the claim. The article also confirms that Governor Gavin Newsome publicly rejected the proposal and called it "dead on arrival," connecting to the information given in the fact check. There is no evidence opposing the existence of this proposal, only an unsure feeling about whether drilling will actually happen because states can block the required setup. Based on this evidence, the fact check is true and accurate.

The Guardian

Answer 3

This claim, “Trump administration planning oil and gas drilling off the coast of California,” came from PBS and is true. PBS said that the Trump administration announced new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades, pushing a project that critics warn might hurt coastal towns and ecosystems, as President Donald Trump tries to expand U.S. oil output. PBS is a trustworthy source because it follows strict journalistic guidelines about fact-checking, sourcing, fairness, and accuracy. Their newsroom has professional editors and reporters who follow the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics. Another source that backs up this claim is Politico. It says that the Interior Department is proposing up to 34 auctions in federal waters between 2026 and 2031, making the planned five-year pace for offshore oil and gas leasing the most aggressive in decades. This is also a really good source because Politico employs experienced political journalists who follow established editorial standards. Their reporting is typically well-sourced, verified, and grounded in identifiable facts like public records, official statements, or data.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-proposes-new-oil-drilling-off-the-coasts-of-california-and-florida

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/20/trump-administration-california-florida-oil-drilling-00648189