Trump administration’s patchwork drilling exemptions leave all states at risk

SELC joined dozens of conservation organizations and thousands of coastal communities, businesses, and elected representatives in condemning the Trump administration’s announcement leaving much of the coast vulnerable to the dangers of oil drilling.

President Trump on Tuesday, September 8, announced drilling would be barred off Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, but allowed elsewhere on the Atlantic coast.

This is not a reason to celebrate because oil spills don’t stop at state lines. As long as any part of the Atlantic coast is open to drilling, all Atlantic states are at risk. Keep the champagne corked until the entire Atlantic coast is protected.

Sierra Weaver, Senior Attorney

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, for example, reached five states.

Click here to watch Weaver and Senior Attorney Catherine Wannamaker discuss how the Deepwater Horizon spill shaped SELC’s Atlantic drilling opposition.