Trump’s Assault Undermines Protections of Our Coastal Waters
By David Helvarg / The Progressive / March 11, 2026
My half-century as a journalist and two decades as an ocean advocate has taught me that democracy is not a guarantee of environmental protection for our public seas or people—it’s a prerequisite.
That’s why, in advance of what will be the third No Kings Day of mass protest against President Donald Trump’s increasingly authoritarian and unpopular administration, on March 28, a few activists from my organization, Blue Frontier, among others, are pushing for a greater focus on ocean-related issues, including clean beaches, safe and sustainable seafood, and oil- and plastic-free public seas.
While previous administrations have promoted offshore drilling and attacked climate science, the Trump Administration stands alone in ignoring the law and Constitutional separation of powers to undermine protection of our coastal waters.
Among other assaults on legal precedent, it has acted to undo the U.S. Civil Service Act during mass firings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and elsewhere. It has also thumbed its nose at the Congressional War Powers Act and the military code of conduct in the September 2 killing of two survivors of a shipwreck, as part of a wave of deadly attacks on alleged drug-runners at sea.
The Trump Administration has also abolished the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 Endangerment Finding that greenhouse gasses pose a risk to health and safety. This was done even though what remains of NOAA’s scientific staff just reported the surface of the ocean was hotter than ever before recorded in 2025 with 84 percent of the world’s coral reefs impacted by bleaching driven by fossil fuel.
In January, NOAA’s political leadership announced plans to fast-track permits to allow The Metals Company, a Canadian startup, to begin deep-sea mining operations on the high seas. This ignores the mandate of the International Seabed Authority under the Law of the Seas Treaty that the United States never ratified but until now has always abided by.
Meanwhile, the administration has rolled out plans to lease new areas for offshore oil drilling including Arctic waters and the entire California coast, despite polls that show more than 70 percent opposition. To implement these plans, Trump is ignoring a suite of laws, including requirements for environmental review and public hearings.
Trump has also decreed that he is reopening National Marine Monuments to commercial fishing and other industrial activities, in an unprecedented challenge to the 1906 Antiquities Act.
And Trump, who was recently given an award by a coal advocacy group for being the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal,” has used federal emergency powers to force utilities to keep operating unprofitable coal plants while shutting down offshore wind projects. This order, which has since been halted by federal judges, will increase the mercury content of tuna while taking jobs away from union workers.
In the face of such developments, ocean defenders need to make their voices heard in mass nonviolent protests that can turn the tide of history. Besides marching to protect our neighbors, including hard-working immigrant families trying to make ends meet, we need to march for our non-human relatives on this salty blue planet. This includes the right whales and gray whales that are threatened by crowded, warming seas; the fish, seals, and manatees killed by red tides and pollution; and the at-risk coral reefs and the kelp forests.
And we should march for our own personal refuges of tranquility, wonder, and livelihood—be it a favorite beach, a pier, or place to surf or sail. A common refrain already heard on the streets is “The ocean is rising but so are we!” This is a call to wear blue when you march on March 28 and—even more importantly—vote for the ocean next November.
