(The Center Square) – Reversing Biden administration policies that halted offshore leasing, prompting lawsuits and restricting oil and natural gas development, the Trump administration is expanding offshore capabilities.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold the administration’s first offshore lease sales in the Gulf of America, with the first proposed notice of sale slated for June.

“By continuing to expand offshore capabilities, the United States ensures affordable energy for consumers, strengthens domestic industry and reinforces its role as an energy superpower,” the Interior Department says. “Opening the Outer Continental Shelf is central to this strategy as it unleashes domestic energy potential that had been blocked under the previous administration,” and is expected to generate tens of thousands of high-paying jobs throughout the industry.

The BOEM also released a new analysis stating that a significant increase of estimated oil and natural gas reserves exists in the Gulf of America Outer Continental Shelf. BOEM’s updated assessment evaluated more than 140 oil and natural gas fields, identifying 18 new discoveries, and analyzed more than 37,000 reservoirs across 1,336 fields in the Gulf.

It says there’s an “additional 1.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent since 2021, bringing the total reserve estimate to 7.04 billion barrels of oil equivalent. This includes 5.77 billion barrels of oil and 7.15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – a 22.6% increase in remaining recoverable reserves.”

“This new data confirms what we’ve known all along – America is sitting on a treasure trove of energy, and under President Trump’s leadership, we’re unlocking it,” Burgum said. “The Gulf of America is a powerhouse, and by streamlining permitting and expanding access, we’re not just powering our economy – we’re strengthening our national security and putting thousands of Americans back to work.”

The comprehensive review added 4.39 billion barrels of oil equivalent in original reserves, BOEM found. “After subtracting production of 3.09 billion barrels of oil equivalent since 2020–2021, the net increase reflects continued opportunity and momentum in offshore development,” it says.

“The Gulf of America is delivering 14% of the nation’s oil,” BOEM Gulf of America Regional Director Dr. James Kendall said. “These updated estimates reaffirm the Gulf’s vital role in ensuring a reliable, affordable domestic energy supply.”

The BOEM oversees nearly 3.2 billion acres of the Outer Continental Shelf, with roughly 160 million acres located in the Gulf.

“Energy dominance is a pillar of U.S. economic strength and global leadership,” the Interior Department argues. “By expanding offshore capabilities, the United States ensures affordable energy for consumers, creates high-paying jobs, and reduces dependence on foreign adversaries. … Expanded leasing is projected to create tens of thousands of jobs across exploration, production, logistics and supply chains — revitalizing coastal economies and fueling American innovation.”

Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Shell plc, also announced it is beginning production at Dover, a second subsea tieback connecting new wells to existing infrastructure of its Appomattox production hub in the Gulf of America. Dover’s estimated peak production is 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day, it says.

Shell is the leading deep-water operator in the Gulf of America; Dover was discovered under the first Trump administration in 2018.

It’s located in Mississippi Canyon, roughly 170 miles offshore southeast of New Orleans.

Shell estimates that Dover will “contain 44.5 million barrels of oil equivalent recoverable resources, adding stable, secure energy resources.”

Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas activities have generated billions of dollars in revenue from lease sales, rental fees and royalties to the federal government and states, helping to fund infrastructure, education and public services and wildlife conservation. They also help strengthen U.S. energy independence, national security and global stability, by reducing reliance on foreign producers, the Trump administration argues.

Offshore production in the Gulf of America accounts for the third greatest volume in the country, of nearly 1.8 million barrels of oil per day, according to Energy Information Agency data from January. The greatest volume is produced in the Permian Basin in west Texas, which leads the U.S. in oil and natural gas production, The Center Square reported.

(The Center Square) – Hurricane Helene has put a new focus on the health of streams in North Carolina and making sure they are clear of debris such as fallen trees and trash.

When heavy storms hit, clogged streams can cause flooding to farmland, damage to bridges and homes and also make recreation, such as canoeing more difficult.

“A lot our streams across North Carolina typically have not had a typical maintenance type program,” Bryan Evans, executive director of the North Carolina Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, told The Center Square.

Fixing the problem will require millions of dollars in federal and state tax dollars, Evans said.

The issue of stream clearing in North Carolina also came to the forefront after hurricanes Florence and Matthew, and the Legislature responded in 2022 with $36 million in funding for the Streamflow Rehabilitation Assistance Program also known as STRAP.

“It is set up to be a maintenance program, a proactive program to keep our streams functioning the way they should, prior to a storm,” Evans said.

When the STRAP program was first funded, soil and water districts throughout the state estimated that they needed $320 million for debris removal and other work.

The Legislature approved a second round of funding last year for $19.3 million and by then the cost of the work needed to be done dropped to around $200 million.

Then, last September, came Helene. The scope of the damage was so large that federal agencies and programs are still in charge of clearing and repairing it.

A federal program, the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, is in charge of stabilizing streams and removing debris, Evans said.

“In these areas where a blockage has happened, a lot of times the water will go around and it starts degrading the streambed and destabilizing the stream banks,” Evans said. “EWP also helps assist with that – they go back and stabilize those banks, especially where there are structure that are threatened because the streambeds are creeping in on them.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are also involved in the Helene recovery effort.

“FEMA comes in and they do some debris removal that is considered an imminent threat,” Evans said.

The agencies are still performing an assessment of the damage in North Carolina. Only after that assessment is complete will the EWP fully kick in.

“Helene has affected so many places at such a level that we’ve not seen before,” said Evans.

State officials are working closely with federal agencies on the recovery. State efforts will focus on areas of state that are that outside of the federal efforts, said Evans.

“Once EWP completes what it can do within its scope, we will look at the STRAP program to pick up any additional things,” Evans said. “It’s all about working on streams to try to keep them healthy, to try keep them functioning.”

(The Center Square) – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt continued to insist the president’s tariffs and other economic policies would lead to an economic boom, amid questions from reporters over U.S-China relations and tariff deals with other countries. 

Since “Liberation Day” on April 2 when President Donald Trump announced new tariff rates for nearly all of America’s trading partners, the U.S. has raised its tariffs on China several times to a new rate of 145%. China, in return, raised its tariffs on the U.S. to 125%; the European Union also raised its tariffs on a range of American goods to 25% this week. On Wednesday, the administration announced a 90-day pause on all new tariffs for all countries besides China, and the EU paused its retaliatory rates in response.

While the administration says over 75 countries are attempting to negotiate rates, the White House has said it won’t release the list of those countries and the details of the negotiations are currently mostly unknown to the public. Israel has said it’s making changes to its trade policies with the U.S. and the White House has said Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Italy are seeking out deals.

“President Trump has said China wants to make a deal on tariffs. The president says he has a great relationship with Chinese President Xi; he’s willing to speak with him directly. Why doesn’t the president just pick up the phone and get this ball going?” one reporter asked.

“The president, as I said from the podium just a few days ago… would be gracious if China intends to make a deal with the United States. If China continues to retaliate, it’s not good for China,” Leavitt responded.

“So is he waiting for China to make the first move?” the reporter asked. 

Leavitt said she wouldn’t comment on the countries’ discussions, of if any were happening, but that the White House would provide updates “moving forward” and the president remains “optimistic” about a deal with China.

“Why would any of our allies work with us to isolate China in a trade war if we’re treating friend and foe alike?” another reporter followed up.

“You’ll have to talk to our allies who are reaching out us. The phones are ringing off the hooks. They’ve made it very clear they need the United States of America. They need our markets, they need our customer base,” Leavitt replied.

Another reporter later said he had a source within the administration who had told him the administration was “weeks away” from a tariff deal with any country.

“How soon can we see that and what country is that?” he asked.

“I won’t reveal or get ahead of our trade team as these negotiations are obviously ongoing, but I can tell you very good progress has been made,” Leavitt said. She added that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had shared good news on that front. 

“He confirmed that more than 15 offers are already on the table, which is remarkable in just a mere matter of days.”