On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order to extend and expand a ban on oil drilling off the coast of Florida. Trump said he would extend the existing moratorium on offshore oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s west coast through 2032 and expand it to include the Atlantic coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
The decision marks a reversal for Trump, who in 2018 announced a five-year drilling plan calling for 19 lease sales offshore Alaska, seven in the Pacific Region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico and nine in the Atlantic. Florida’s coastline was removed from consideration after then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with former Florida Gov. Rick Scott — who’s now serving in the U.S. Senate — in Tallahassee.
Current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opposed the offshore drilling plan as part of his campaign platform and on Tuesday hailed the order as “another great win” for Florida’s environment.
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