The Obama Administration wants to open an offshore drilling zone that stretches from Virginia to Georgia that would be a boon to oil companies but would draw the ire of environmentalists.

It’s the second time President Obama has suggested opening up the Atlantic for oil drilling, but many oppose it on the grounds of a risk of an oil spill in the area, which is heavily populated, according to a Bloomberg report.

The offshore plan, which is proposed for 2017 to 2022, would involve the auctioning off of leases for at least six years, and it would take several more years after that for drilling to start, according to the report.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell called it a “balanced approach to oil and gas development” that protects more precious areas where it would be too risky to drill, she said in a conference call with reporters.

Oil and gas has been a thorny issue for the Obama Administration, which has actively opposed the Keystone XL pipeline on largely environmental grounds, further arguing it wouldn’t bring many jobs. The Republican-led Congress appears largely in favor of the pipeline.

Environmentalists argue that the administration hasn’t properly addressed the risk of spills in light of the BP oil spill in the Gulf in 2010, as well as the continuing rise in carbon emissions that is warming the planet, something that has largely been blamed on fossil fuel use.

As part of the deal, the White House hopes to declare nearly 10 million acres near Alaska off-limits for future drilling, although the Interior Department isn’t blocking Arctic exploration altogether. It is also proposing 10 sales in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Atlantic has about 5 percent of the recoverable oil that the Gulf of Mexico has. Drilling there would require a 50-mile buffer to protect the coastline, according to the administration.