New Delhi, Nov. 21 -- President Donald Trump's administration is planning to open up millions of square miles (kilometers) of US coastal waters to oil and gas drilling, it said Thursday, in a step that could lead to a massive expansion of fossil fuel extraction.

The move comes as Washington looks increasingly out of step with much of the developed world, where there is growing acceptance of the reality of human-caused climate change.

Under the plan announced by the US Department of the Interior, 34 lease sales will be offered, allowing for drilling in 1.27 billion acres (500 million hectares) -- an area the size of the Amazon.

The proposal includes waters off the north coast of Alaska that have never been drilled before, in the Gulf of...