The Charleston County Council is joining the fight against US president Donald Trump’s plan for potential oil and gas drilling off its coast.

Trump’s plan involves giving potential new leases on the Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina coasts, which, by a resolution signed by Trump in his first term, were supposed to be protected until 2032.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is working on its five-year plan and is evaluating which locations off the US coastline have the largest potential for oil drilling.

The Charleston council is against bringing offshore drilling, mostly due to the lack of infrastructure for it, the harm it could cause the environment, and the looming danger of an oil spill.

South Carolina, where the county is located, is generally against any drilling off its coast. The state and the county wish to preserve the natural resources and beaches, which are well-known tourist attractions. According to people from the Charleston council, offshore drilling would jeopardise that.

Last week, the governors of North and South Carolina sent a letter to BOEM stating their opposition to offshore drilling on their coasts.

In the bipartisan letter, Democratic governor Josh Stein and Republican governor Henry McMaster asked the administration not to lift the moratorium in a bid to protect around 800 km of ocean beaches and over 9,650 km of their coastlines.

They added that every North Carolina and South Carolina coastal municipality has passed a resolution opposing offshore drilling and seismic testing, reaffirmed by other municipalities and counties, as well as state legislators and members of Congressional delegations from both parties.