Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Offshore oil and gas drilling might resume in federally controlled waters near California and in some waters near Florida after being banned for decades.
The Interior Department released a five-year plan Thursday supporting offshore drilling leases, which would include up to 34 lease auctions in federal waters sometime between 2026 and 2031, according to Politico.
The auctions would include up to six sites near Southern California, two near Florida in the Gulf of Mexico and 21 near Alaska- including the High Arctic, where no oil drilling has been carried out.
"The Biden administration slammed the brakes on offshore oil and gas leasing and crippled the long-term pipeline of America's offshore production," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a prepared statement.
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