Sierra Club statement on Trump’s revocation of protections for offshore ocean waters

Executive order seeks to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling for more than 625 million acres

January 20, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. -As part of a series of executive orders seeking to "unleash American energy" via a "national energy emergency," Donald Trump overturned protections for more than 625 million acres of oceanoff the Atlantic and Pacific American coasts, opening them up to offshore oil and gas drilling.

The executive order reverses recent actions by the Biden Administration to withdraw certain offshore areas from drilling. Trump's actions make those areas once again available for leasing by Big Oil CEOs and corporate polluters. The move is also of dubious legality, as the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does not provide a mechanism for stripping protections for safeguarded waters.

Offshore drilling is one of the most dangerous forms of oil and gas drilling, and it is overwhelmingly opposed by coastal communities in red and blue states. The worst offshore drilling disaster, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, released more than four million barrels of oil over an 87-day period into the Gulf of Mexico, polluting coastal communities, disrupting fragile aquatic ecosystems, and damaging coastal economies for years.

In response, Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club's Lands Protection Program, released the following statement:

"Once again, Donald Trump is trying to sell out coastal communities and sacrifice our waters, coastal economies, and climate for a giveaway to Big Oil CEOs. Two things are clear: millions of Americans, from red states and blue states alike, have said they do not want offshore drilling off our coasts, and Donald Trump does not have the authority to remove protections for these ocean waters. Trump has decided the only voices that matter are those of the corporate executives who bankrolled his presidential campaign, and he will try anything to get Congress to bend to his will."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.