Trump expands ban on new offshore drilling sites in Atlantic
Source: Associated Press
Trump expands ban on new offshore drilling sites in Atlantic
By ZEKE MILLER and DARLENE SUPERVILLE
September 8, 2020
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump expanded a ban on new offshore drilling Tuesday, an election-year reversal likely to appeal to voters in Florida and other coastal states. Two years ago, Trump had taken steps to vastly expand offshore drilling from coast to coast.
“This protects your beautiful gulf and your beautiful ocean, and it will for a long time to come,” Trump said as he announced the expanded drilling ban during an appearance at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
The president signed a memorandum instructing the interior secretary to prohibit drilling in the waters off both Florida coasts, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina for a period of 10 years — from July 1, 2022, to June 20, 2032.
The existing moratorium covers the Gulf of Mexico, and Trump said the new one would also cover the Atlantic coast — a significant political concern in coastal states like Florida.
Trump used the event to portray himself as an environmental steward and contrast his record against that of Democrat Joe Biden. But the Trump administration has overturned or weakened numerous regulations meant to protect air and water quality and lands essential for imperiled species.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/c984829ef78b964cc7d09bf2e0e1ab34
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Update: I just thought this was only play for Florida. Then I saw the following NYT story. This is all out gaslighting.
Source: New York Times
LIVE Updated 51 minutes ago
2020 Election Live Updates: Trump, Who Has Lifted Major Climate Regulations, Calls Himself ‘Great Environmentalist’ in Florida
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Trump, whose administration proposed opening offshore waters to drilling, now claims credit for issuing a moratorium.
President Trump, who has exited the Paris Agreement, loosened restrictions on toxic air pollution, rolled back clean water protections and removed climate change from a list of national security threats, on Tuesday stood in front of supporters in Jupiter, Fla., and declared himself “a great environmentalist.”
Mr. Trump was speaking at an official presidential event, where he endorsed a 10-year moratorium on oil and gas drilling off the state’s coastline as well as the Georgia and South Carolina coasts — a feat of political jujitsu, since his administration is the one that proposed lifting the moratorium.
(In 2018, the Trump administration only dropped Florida from a list of places where it wanted to lift a moratorium on all offshore oil drilling after strong opposition from the state’s Republican governor at the time, Rick Scott.)
But his appearance in the battleground state he has adopted as his own, where recent polls show him deadlocked with his Democratic rival, Joseph R. Biden Jr., also doubled as a campaign stop. It was also an extraordinary attempt to recast his environmental record in a state battered by hurricanes and coastal flooding, where voters of both parties express widespread concern about climate change.
Standing behind a podium with a presidential seal, Mr. Trump claimed, with no evidence, that electing Mr. Biden would leave the environment “permanently injured.”
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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/09/08/us/trump-vs-biden?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage#trump-whose-administration-proposed-opening-offshore-waters-to-drilling-now-claims-credit-for-issuing-a-moratorium
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