United States offshore drilling debate

The United States offshore drilling debate is an ongoing debate in the United States about whether, the extent to which, in which areas, and under what conditions, further offshore drilling should be allowed in U.S.-administered waters. It is being debated in terms of both environmental issues and U.S. energy independence.

In 1969 drilling bans were established for offshore California and Florida, and in 1990 President George H. W. Bush banned offshore drilling entirely. Nevertheless, offshore drilling continued in offshore Texas and Louisiana.

Offshore drilling became central in the 2008 presidential election, not least because of the oil price increases since 2003. George W. Bush lifted the oil drilling ban and also President Barack Obama was for limited offshore drilling. The Obama administration opened new areas in U.S. coastal waters to offshore drilling for gas and oil in March 2010, despite the recent Deepwater Horizon explosion and Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico but rescinded the decision in November. In 2018, Trump launched an initiative to expand offshore drilling, excluding Florida. Under President Biden oil and gas leasing in certain arctic areas was prohibited as of 2023, but in January 2025, President Trump revoked that order.