We continue to monitor the efforts of the Trump administration to expand offshore drilling during its last days. The No Drill Coalition heard this week from our friends in the Virginia Sierra Club the following information in blue. The "ask" from VA, MD. and Delaware is that we (NC) support their efforts to fight this by signing on to letters like the one below which Sierra Club has already signed, so no action required by us, but I just wanted to let you know about it.

We’ve confirmed that the Trump administration is moving forward with its long-awaited Proposed Program for offshore oil and gas leasing. The plan is likely to drop sometime after Dec. 11. Lease sales will be proposed for the following areas: the Gulf of Mexico; Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (notwithstanding the apparent promise of a Va. moratorium that Trump made during the campaign); Southern California; the Beaufort and Chukchi; the Gulf of Alaska; and a couple of areas in the Bering.

A 90-day comment period is required so they can’t finalize this plan before January 20th. With that in mind, we think the Trump folks are actually doing us a favor here—reminding people of the continuing threat to the coasts and the need for permanent protection, which can help us keep offshore oil and gas high on the Biden agenda.