Bob Ferguson: Trump administration puts plan to allow off-shore drilling on hold

This shell oil rig was being towed to Seattle for repairs.
The plan was to allow these off the Washington coast to drill
Photo copyright Marc Weinberg

Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following statement Monday after the Trump Administration announced that it is putting on indefinite hold its plan to open more than 90 percent of all federal waters to offshore drilling, including off the coast of Washington state.

Ferguson had threatened to sue if the Administration moved forward with the proposal.

“The Trump Administration recognized that if it went forward with its unlawful and dangerous plan to drill for oil and gas off of our coast, it would lose in federal court — again,” Ferguson said. 

“We warned President Trump and Secretary Zinke that we would take legal action if they threatened our coast with oil drilling. They backed off, but this Administration has demonstrated it cannot be trusted. 

"I will continue to keep watch until the Trump Administration abandons this plan entirely. This proposal is a needless threat to our economy and our untamed, awe-inspiring Washington coastline. Our beaches and coastal forests are an integral part of Washington’s identity, and they should remain that way for generations to come.”

Background

The Trump Administration announced a draft plan to sell offshore drilling leases in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic in January of 2018 in areas covering about 90 percent of the outer continental shelf. Several days later, the Administration’s then-Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, granted Florida an exemption from the offshore lease sales.