President Trump announces plan to open up coastal areas under federal control to offshore drilling

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- President Trump's proposal calls for new offshore drilling off the Northern, Southern and Central California Coast.

Scott Cain is a local fuel distributor who supports the plan.

"And to see how many of our problems today are related to Middle Eastern problems, the idea of exploring our own energy and creating our own energy independence I think is a worthy cause," said fuel distributor Scott Cain.

Governor Brown and other west coast governors slammed the five-year plan which would begin in 2019 as reckless and short-sighted.

Sierra Club member Kevin Hall also criticized the proposal to allow offshore drilling.

"To people in the Valley, it has to be ironic to think that our president is promoting air pollution. We just came from one of the worst sieges in our history and the very next day, the first clean day, we get the news that hey we need to drill offshore off the California coast. None of that makes sense. It's an idiotic proposal," said Hall

Environmentalists have been quick to denounce the plan but interior secretary Ryan Zinke said, "We're embarking on a new path for energy dominance in California."