Big Oil vs climate advocates on US offshore leasing plan: Key to energy security and jobs or coastal economy threat

November 21, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

The Trump administration’s draft five-year offshore leasing plan continues to run the gauntlet of commentators’ reactions, sparking both applause and outrage. While some are calling it vital for national security, energy independence, and job creation, others see it as a major risk that could jeopardize the $250 billion coastal economy and millions of jobs in tourism and fishing.

After the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) unveiled a proposed notice of sale for the second of 30 planned offshore oil and gas lease sales under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, reactions are still pouring in. The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) is among those who support the Trump administration’s draft five-year offshore leasing plan, emphasizing broad inclusion of all Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) areas to maximize competition and revenue for the U.S. Treasury.

Edith Naegele, IPAA’s President and CEO, highlighted: “A robust five-year plan is essential to U.S. national security needs as it reduces our dependence on foreign oil, ensures a stable domestic energy supply, and supports hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Independent oil and natural gas producers commend the Trump administration on its thoughtful first iteration of the national OCS oil and gas leasing program, commonly referred to as the five-year plan.

“As designed by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), five-year plans have a vigorous multi-iteration development process with several steps for analysis and extensive public comment. IPAA strongly supports broad inclusion of all OCS areas to ensure areas of high interest make it into the final plan. This will ensure a competitive bidding process among producers which ensures a good return to the American people via billions of dollars paid annually to the U.S. Treasury.”

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Another player that expressed its support for the five-year offshore leasing plan is the American Petroleum Institute (API), which portrays the proposal as a “historic step” toward energy leadership, unlocking offshore resources. API highlights safety standards, predictability for investment, and the potential for billions in government revenue, while emphasizing the U.S. offshore oil’s relatively low carbon intensity.

Mike Sommers, API’s President and CEO, underlined: “After years of delay in federal leasing, this is a historic step toward unleashing our nation’s vast offshore resources. We applaud Secretary Burgum for laying the groundwork for a new and more expansive five-year program that unlocks opportunities for long-term investment offshore and supports energy affordability at a time of rising demand at home and abroad.”

After Doug Burgum, U.S. Interior Secretary, directed BOEM in April 2025 to begin the process of developing a new schedule for offshore oil and gas lease sales, the latter confirmed plans to hold a new lease sale in the Gulf of America in December 2025, the first offshore lease sale since 2023. API claims that its support for the five-year offshore leasing program goes hand-in-hand with the industry’s longstanding commitment to world-class offshore safety.

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The American Petroleum Institute noted: “A predictable leasing program allows companies to plan and invest in these best-in-class systems, ensuring that offshore development moves forward with the highest levels of safety, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.

“According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. offshore production accounts for 14% of total U.S. crude oil production, or nearly 2 million barrels of oil per day. Robust offshore oil and natural gas development could generate over $8 billion in additional government revenue by 2040.”

However, not everyone is happy with the proposed offshore leasing plan, especially not those like Surfrider Foundation, which argues that offshore drilling in previously protected waters off California, Florida, and Alaska is unnecessary given unused permits, poses spill risks, and faces broad public opposition. As a result, Surfrider is mobilizing communities to fight the proposed plan and restore protections revoked by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

Dr. Chad Nelsen, CEO of Surfrider Foundation, said: “The Surfrider Foundation has beaten the Trump administration’s plans to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters before, and we’re ready to do it again. New leases in this drilling plan threaten wildlife, communities, and the coastal recreation and tourism industries that contribute billions of dollars to our nation’s economy.

“New drilling will also increase the likelihood of another catastrophic oil spill, like the Deepwater Horizon. We call on the President and Congress to respect the will of the people and reject new offshore drilling off U.S. coasts.”

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According to Surfrider Foundation, offshore drilling poses a serious threat to coastal recreation, tourism, and fishing industries that depend on clean, healthy ocean environments, which provide nearly ten times more jobs than the offshore oil industry nationally. This nonprofit grassroots organization claims that the U.S. does not need new offshore leasing to meet national energy needs.

Surfrider stated: “The oil and gas industry already holds over 1,800 fully approved but unused drilling permits across federal lands. Consumer relief at the pump will not come from new offshore oil wells — gas prices are determined by global markets and would not be significantly impacted by new offshore drilling in U.S. waters, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.”