WASHINGTON – Environmental groups are cheering the indefinite delay of President Donald Trump's controversial plan to expand oil and gas drilling off much of America's shoreline, a program that's a linchpin of his "energy dominance" agenda.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt told the Wall Street Journal Thursday that a recent court decision blocking drilling in the Arctic and parts of the Atlantic oceans could suspend the agency's plan to open up as much as 90 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf for energy exploration over the next five years.

A federal judge in Alaska last month threw out Trump's 2017 executive order reversing drilling bans imposed by President Barack Obama in dozens of canyons in the Atlantic and vast parts of the Arctic to protect polar bears, walruses, ice seals as well as Alaska Native villages that depend on the animals.

"Given the recent court decision, the Department is simply evaluating all of its options to determine the best pathway to accomplish the mission entrusted to it by the President," Interior Spokesperson Molly Block wrote in an email to USA Today.

Want news from USA TODAY on WhatsApp? Click this link on your mobile device to get started

Environmental groups wasted little time in touting Bernhardt's comments as a victory against a plan opposed by a bipartisan coalition of state officials up and down both coasts. States are concerned about the expansion of fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and the potential damage to coastal communities that depend on tourism and marine ecology.

"This is welcome news and a reminder that this is a nation of laws and the Trump administration is not immune to those laws," said Erik Grafe, an attorney with Earthjustice which represented environmental groups that sued the administration over the executive order. "There should not be expanded oil and gas leasing in our oceans."

Trump has consistently argued for expanded offshore drilling as a pillar of an economic strategy not only to make U.S. energy secure but also to help reinvigorate the manufacturing sector and boost the growth of high-paying jobs.

The initial proposal unveiled in January 2018 and covering leasing activity from 2019 to 2024 included 47 potential lease sales in 25 of the nation's 26 planning areas – 19 sales off the coast of Alaska, seven in the Pacific region, 12 in the Gulf of Mexico, and nine in the Atlantic region.

The plan would apply to federal waters, which begin beyond state waters, generally about three miles from shore.

Republicans have been largely united both on the country's need for energy independence and in condemning the Green New Deal that progressive Democrats rolled out in early February. But with the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill that polluted the Gulf of Mexico still a raw memory, they're fragmented on offshore drilling.

Related:In push to be 'energy dominant,' Trump puts squeeze on polar bears, whales and sage grouse, critics say

Related:Trump administration set to roll out massive offshore oil plan, but many in GOP don't want it

Related:After Interior drops Florida from offshore drilling plan, other states say 'me too'

Some Republicans have joined Democrats in introducing bills, writing letters and making both public and private appeals to the administration, all asking for an exemption for their states like the one then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke granted to Florida's then-Gov. Rick Scott a year ago.

While encouraged by the administration's delay, drilling opponents still worry the reprieve may be temporary if the administration wins an appeal in a higher court.

"We may have generated enough opposition to slow this down but until the Trump plan is final, the president is positioned to open up our coasts at a moment's notice," said Jacqueline Savitz, chief policy officer at the environmental group Oceana.

Want to read more? Download the USA TODAY app