By Miranda Green | The Hill
Trump administration moves forward with final rule to allow new California drilling
The Trump administration moved forward Thursday with its plan to open up hundreds of thousands of acres on California’s Central Coast to oil and gas drilling.
The effort comes despite opposition from Democratic officials in the Golden State, who have starkly criticized the plan.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued its final proposal as part of the administration’s “energy independence” push on Thursday.
It would open up 725,500 acres of land across 11 counties in California to oil and gas lease sales. The counties affected include Monterey, Fresno and Santa Cruz.
The BLM hailed the proposal as a move that would strengthen U.S. energy independence.