Trump to Order Oil Drilling Study Off California Coast, Sources Say

Drilling rights last sold off U.S. West Coast in 1984
Local opponents fear a repeat of 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill

An oil tanker passes near DCOR LLC's Edith offshore oil and gas platform in the Beta Field off the coast of Long Beach, California, on May 18, 2010.
Photographer: Tim Rue/Bloomberg

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By Jennifer A Dlouhy

April 25, 2017 at 9:04 PM UTC

Updated on

April 26, 2017 at 11:38 AM UTC

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President Donald Trump will open the door to new oil and natural gas drilling in Pacific waters off the coast of California with a directive Friday that sets up a certain clash with environmentalists.

Trump will order the Interior Department to review locations for offshore oil and gas exploration and consider selling drilling rights in territory that former President Barack Obama put off limits, according to people briefed on the order who spoke on the condition of anonymity before it is issued. That includes U.S. Pacific waters, as well as Arctic and Atlantic acreage left out of the five-year schedule of lease sales issued by Obama in November.