Exercising authority under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, President Trump today issued a Presidential Memorandum removing the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning area subject to congressional moratorium through 2022, the South Atlantic Planning Area (South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida), and the Straits of Florida Planning Area from oil and natural gas leasing through June 30, 2032.
The Memorandum notes that the withdrawal does not apply to leasing for environmental conservation purposes such as for shore protection, beach nourishment and restoration, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection.
