Newsom vows to stop Trump offshore drilling expansion plans in California

California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom vowed this week to halt a reported Trump administration effort to unleash power manufacturing off California’s coast in a social media submit that was extensively criticized by conservatives and pundits who spoke to Fox Information Digital.

“Lifeless on arrival,” Newsom mentioned in a speech message on X Tuesday in response to a Washington Submit article reporting that Trump officers are contemplating plans to suggest oil drilling off the coast of California “for the primary time in many years.”

Newsom’s submit, which was considered greater than three million instances, was rapidly criticized by conservatives.

‘Lifeless on Arrival’ is what @GavinNewsom says about Trump’s proposal to drill off the coast of California,” says ophthalmologist and commentator Houman David Hemmati posted on X.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom appears to be like on throughout a invoice signing occasion associated to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Photos)

“The SAME man pushing for overpriced, unreliable, environmentally catastrophic offshore wind.”

Gabriella Hoffman, director of the Impartial Ladies’s Discussion board Middle for Power and Conservation, informed Fox Information Digital that new offshore oil and gasoline initiatives “needs to be explored in California” and that the initiatives are “protected” and have “a minimal environmental footprint due to improved know-how and elevated security measures.”

“California is taken into account an oil island, regardless of having plentiful onshore and offshore recoverable oil reserves,” Hoffman mentioned. “Governor Newsom nonetheless claims to hate oil and gasoline 60% of California’s oil is imported from overseas nations, together with Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Guyana. That’s disturbing, however a pure consequence of forcing a 100% transition to renewable power sources.”

Newsom was essentially the most outstanding US official to attend this week’s COP30 world local weather convention in Belém, Brazil – utilizing the platform to criticize the absent Trump administration.

The White Home ridiculed the journey, noting that California nonetheless has among the many highest in U.S. power prices.

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Cargo ships are seen anchored offshore, sharing house with oil platforms, earlier than getting into the Port of Los Angeles-Lengthy Seashore. (AP Picture/Eugene Garcia, file)

In a press release to Fox Information Digital, a spokesperson for Newsom’s workplace mentioned: “The Trump Administration has but to formally share its plan with us, however costly and riskier offshore drilling would endanger our communities and undermine the financial stability of our coastal economies. recent historyare we not shocked by the dearth of communication or their lack of thought in regards to the penalties of their actions for the Individuals. The Trump administration’s focus stays on the subsequent disaster, and never on the well-being of our individuals and communities.”

Newsom’s workplace is extinguished a summary of his visit on the convention, saying it exhibits that California is “main by instance” and proves that “local weather motion and financial progress go hand in hand.”

Hoffman informed Fox Information Digital that whereas each power mission has “ecological tradeoffs,” Newsom’s local weather agenda has resulted in renewables receiving “a passing grade.”

“Governor Newsom desires to litter my residence state’s shoreline with offshore wind farms which might be an eyesore, produce costly, unreliable electrical energy, and threaten fish and marine mammals,” Hoffman mentioned. “As soon as decommissioned, oil rigs are transformed into sanctuaries below the ‘rigs to reef’ program to help marine life – together with endangered fish species – with habitat. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger properly laid the groundwork for this conservation program in 2010 when he signed AB 2503 into legislation.”

Mark Bednar, former communications director for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, informed Fox Information Digital that the Trump administration is concentrated on “increasing America’s power dominance via additional exploration” and warned Newsom to not fall in line.

“Proper now, adversaries like Russia, China, Venezuela and Iran are working across the clock to broaden their financial and geopolitical positions, and any American lawmaker who opposes efforts to extend American power dominance could have a tough time explaining to the American individuals why unilaterally tying one arm behind our again is nice for America,” Bednar mentioned.

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President Donald Trump walks from the Oval Workplace to Marine One on the South Garden of the White Home en path to Florida, Friday, March 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Picture/Mark Schiefelbein)

Finally, in keeping with Hoffman, Newsom’s local weather insurance policies have “provoked power shortages within the Golden State.”

“California has the very best electrical energy charges after Hawaii. Californians additionally pay the very best gasoline tax price of any U.S. state,” Hoffman mentioned. “If two oil refineries shut in 2026, California residents will quickly pay $8 per gallon on the gasoline pump. That’s untenable.

“California’s power disaster is totally our personal doing. New offshore oil and gasoline initiatives, together with new nuclear, geothermal and pure gasoline, may decrease power costs and restore the Golden State’s power independence.”

Fox Information Digital has contacted the House Workplace for remark.

Charles Creitz of Fox Information Digital contributed to this report.