MAINE MONITOR • May 2, 2025
As part of the Trump’s administration’s effort to expand fossil fuel production in the United States, the Department of the Interior announced that it would accelerate the permitting process and seek new oil and gas lease sales in offshore waters, including in the Gulf of Maine. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said the permitting changes — which speed up review under the National Environmental Policy and Endangered Species Acts, among others — would cut the review process down to several weeks. Environmental groups and Maine lawmakers decried the moves while oil and gas industry representatives celebrated them. A group of New England Senators, including Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, introduced legislation to ban offshore drilling in waters throughout New England.