Inslee Wants Zinke To Halt Drilling Off Washington Coast

OLYMPIA, WA - Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to interior secretary Ryan Zinke Thursday asking Zinke not to open up Washington's Pacific Coast to new oil and gas drilling. Zinke recently granted such a request to the state of Florida after the state complained increased oil and gas drilling would hurt tourism.

Last week, Zinke, a former Montana congressman, announced his plan "unleashing" offshore oil and gas reserves. Zinke's plan would make about 98 percent of offshore areas available for drilling or exploration. Zinke's plan would sell seven drilling leases along the Pacific Coast from Washington to California.

Inslee referenced the Florida exemption in his letter to Zinke, but he also said that the state's large shellfish and fishing industries would be harmed by new oil and gas drilling. Inslee also asks for a meeting with Zinke to discuss the offshore drilling plan.

Appearing on CNN Thursday, Inslee suggested that he might need to build Donald Trump a golf course in Washington to get attention.

"Maybe I have to buy Donald Trump a golf course in Washington or something to get him to protect us," Inslee told CNN host Wolf Blitzer.

Photo by Dario Lopez-Mills/Associated Press