President Joe Biden is moving to ban new oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, a last-minute attempt to block possible moves by a future Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.
Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, has said he is using authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Act to protect coastal areas along the East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of Alaska's northern Bering Sea from future oil and gas natural raw materials. gas leasing.
“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have long known: that drilling on these shores could cause irreparable harm to places we hold dear and are not necessary to meet our nation's energy needs,” Biden said in a statement Monday .
Biden's orders will not affect large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, where most U.S. offshore drilling takes place, but will protect coastlines along California, Florida and other states from future drilling.
Biden's actions, which protect nearly 253 million acres of federal waters, could be difficult for President-elect Donald Trump because repealing them would likely require an act of Congress. The 72-year-old law Biden invoked allows the president to withdraw portions of the Outer Continental Shelf from mineral leasing, including oil and gas drilling leases, if areas are deemed too sensitive for drilling.
Trump himself has a complicated history with offshore drilling. In 2020, he signed a memorandum instructing the Secretary of the Interior to ban drilling in waters off Florida and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina by 2032.
Early in his term, Trump initially began to significantly expand offshore drilling, then backed off in the face of widespread opposition in Florida and other coastal states.
Trump on Monday said that after his inauguration on January 20, Biden's drilling ban “will be reversed on day one.”
“I will reverse the ban immediately,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “I have the right to unban him.”
He said the United States has “a level of oil and gas that no one else has, and we are going to take advantage of it. It really is our greatest economic asset.”
Trump has promised to establish what he calls American “energy dominance” around the world, seeking to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and moving away from Biden's focus on climate change.
Environmental advocates welcomed Biden's actions, saying new oil and gas drilling must be sharply limited to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The year 2024 was the warmest on record.
Biden's actions build on the legacy of Democratic and Republican presidents to protect coastal waters from offshore drilling, Gordon said, adding that U.S. coastlines are home to tens of millions of Americans and support billions of dollars of economic activity that depend on a clean, wildlife-rich environment and a thriving fishing industry.
Balancing the diverse uses of America's oceans, Biden said it was clear that areas phasing out fossil fuel use had “relatively minimal potential” that did not justify the possible environmental, public health and economic risks that would result from new leasing. and drilling.
The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore drilling companies, called Biden's decision “a strategic mistake, driven not by science or voter mandate, but by political expediency.”
“This move directly undermines American energy consumers and threatens the enormous benefits associated with a thriving domestic energy sector,” said Erik Milito, the group's president.
Even if there is no immediate interest in drilling in some offshore areas, “it is crucial that the federal government maintains the flexibility to adapt” to unexpected global events such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he said.
Biden has proposed up to three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, but none in Alaska, as he tries to navigate between energy companies eager to boost oil and gas production and environmental activists who want him to shut down new offshore drilling in the Gulf Mexican. fight against climate change.
Biden whose decision approve a massive willow oil project in Alaska drew sharp condemnation from environmental groups, having previously restricted offshore drilling in other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.
Sandra Bundy, president of the Florida-based Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, said she is “excited and grateful” for Biden's actions, which she believes will protect the East Coast for generations to come.