2nd GOP governor seeks withdrawal from proposal

WASHINGTON — Opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to expand offshore drilling is mounting as Democrats from coastal states accuse President Trump of punishing states with Democratic leaders and a second Republican governor asks to withdraw his state from the plan.

Democrats said Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke were being hypocritical by agreeing to a request by Florida’s Republican governor to withdraw from the drilling plan, but not making the same accommodation to states with Democratic governors.

California Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said on Twitter that his state, “like Florida, has hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline and a governor who wants to keep it that way. Or is that not enough for blue states?”

“If local voices matter, why haven’t they excluded Virginia?” asked Sen. Tim Kaine, DVa. “Is it because the governor of Florida is a Republican and the Virginia governor is a Democrat?” The complaints came as South Carolina’s Republican governor said Wednesday he is seeking an exemption from the proposed drilling expansion, a move that will test the relationship between Trump and one of his earliest supporters.

Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters that risks associated with drilling pose a serious threat to South Carolina’s lush coastline and $20 billion tourism industry.

“We cannot afford to take a chance with the beauty, the majesty and the economic value and vitality of our wonderful coastline in South Carolina,” McMaster said.

In Virginia, GOP Rep. Scott Taylor joined Kaine and Gov.elect Ralph Northam in opposing the drilling plan. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., called Trump’s plan “a complete non-starter.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said on Twitter that “the only science @SecretaryZinke follows is political science. He’ll reverse course to protect fellow Republicans in Florida, but not to protect coastlines and jobs across the rest of the country? Totally unacceptable.”

Heather Swift, a spokeswoman for Zinke, accused Kaine and other Democrats of taking cheap shots at her boss.

“The secretary has said since day one that he is interested in the local voice. If those governors would like to request meetings with the secretary, they are absolutely welcome to do so,” she said. “Their criticism is empty pandering.”