By: Karly Herrington
Pensacola locals join hands to fight back against plans from the Trump administration, intending to lease ocean plots just off Pensacola Beach for offshore drilling purposes. Escambia County’s economy relies greatly on tourism, which would take a dire hit if the plan were approved and carried out.
In attempts to expand the oil industry of the United States, the Trump administration announced a plan on Nov. 20, 2025, that intends to establish offshore drilling sites spanning over 1.3 billion acres in Alaska, California, and Florida. This would mean oil rigs being built and operated within 100 miles of the famous white sandy dunes of the Gulf Coast, including our very own Pensacola Beach.
Offshore drilling is the process required to harvest pockets of oil or gas under the seafloor. This entails leasing the parcel of ocean being drilled, seismic testing to map the seafloor, and the actual extraction operation.
In America, oceans and coasts are the property of the public. This means that before drilling, the government must approve the use of the parcel. Since this is a matter of public property, a massive part of the government approval procedure involves public comments.
Seismic mapping is the process of using an arsenal of air guns pulled behind a ship. The air guns blast a loud noise every 10 seconds. The time it takes for the echo to return can be used to create an outline of the seafloor, similar to echolocation. These blasts are extremely loud, over 250 decibels (an ambulance siren is 160 decibels, for reference), and echo for miles on the water. This inherently affects quality of life for not only the locals who work and live within earshot, but also the beloved marine life of our gulf- possibly driving them away from the area.
After seismic testing, the task of drilling is no less invasive. Companies bring in mobile offshore drilling units to dig a well, reaching the seafloor, where the pockets of oil/gas are harvested and processed to be distributed. However, from the first step of drilling, there are many risks of leaking oil and gases into the ocean. There is also no way to ensure that absolutely no oil is leaked, as it is an inevitable outcome of offshore drilling.
On Jan. 17, locals attended a press conference on the matter at Pensacola Beach. Tom McLaughlin and Brittany Misencik, reporters for Pensacola News Journal, reported that many disgruntled locals are recalling the Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Louisiana that afflicted the Gulf Coast in 2010. The spill was avoidable, caused by an explosion due to a lack of proper maintenance, and resulted in oil spanning over 57,500 square miles of the Gulf Coast, leading to tar balls and petroleum washing up on beaches, including our own. Subsequently, animals, plants, businesses, and local biodiversity suffered massively. Many citizens went to great lengths to recover their beloved beaches and gulf. The possibility of this happening again, even closer to home, is not a reality anyone wants to face. Another concern that Pensacola locals spoke up about was that the ocean off the coast is used for military testing and training as well, which leaves many worried about the jobs that will suffer if they are no longer able to use this resource.
Additionally, both democratic and republican Florida congressional representatives have unanimously banded together in opposition to the drilling and urge President Donald Trump to uphold a moratorium (a document announcing the temporary prohibition of an act) he signed in 2020, which banned drilling in the eastern gulf. The goal is to get this moratorium extended in order to protect what is one of our greatest natural resources.
Although comments for public opinion are closed as of Jan. 23, there are other routes to counteract the drilling. Contact county commissioners to express ongoing objections or join local organizations working to protect our coasts, such as Healthy Gulf.
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