Biden bans offshore oil and gas drilling in most US waters

President Joe Biden is moving to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most US coastal waters, a last-minute effort to block possible action by the incoming Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.

Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, said he is using authority under the federal Continental Shelf Act to protect offshore areas along the east and west coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the northern portions of the Bering Sea in Alaska from the future oil and natural. gas leasing.

“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and tourists have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to the places we hold dear and is not necessary to meet the energy needs of our nation,” Biden said in a statement Monday.

Biden’s orders would not affect large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, where most US offshore drilling occurs, but would protect the coasts 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 to relax, as they would need an act of Congress to repeal them. The 72-year-old law cited by Biden allows the president to withdraw portions of the Outer Continental Shelf from mineral leases, including leases for oil and gas drilling, if the areas are deemed too sensitive to drilling.

Trump himself has a complicated history on offshore drilling. He signed a memorandum in 2020 directing the interior secretary to ban drilling in waters off both coasts of Florida, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina until 2032.

Earlier in his term, Trump had initially moved to greatly expand offshore drilling, before backing off amid widespread opposition in Florida and other coastal states.

Trump on Monday said that after the inauguration on January 20, Biden’s drilling ban “will be changed on the first day.”

“I will cancel it immediately,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “I have the right to announce.”

He said the United States has “oil and gas at a level that no one else has and we have to take advantage of that. It’s really our biggest economic asset.”

Trump has vowed to establish what he calls American “energy dominance” in the world as he seeks to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from Biden’s focus on climate change.

Environmental advocates hailed Biden’s action, saying new oil and gas drilling must be drastically curtailed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. 2024 was the hottest in recorded history.

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. coasts are home to tens of millions of Americans and support billions of economic activity dollars that depend on a clean, abundant environment. thriving wildlife and fisheries.

In the balance of multiple uses of the American oceans, Biden said that it was clear that the areas that withdraw from the use of fossil fuels show “a relatively small potential” that does not justify the possible environmental, health risks public and economic that come from new leasing and drilling.

The National Oceanic Industries Association, which represents offshore drillers, called Biden’s decision “a strategic error, driven not by science or voter mandate, but by political motives.”

“This move directly undermines American energy consumers and jeopardizes the vast benefits of a thriving domestic energy sector,” said Erik Milito, the group’s president.

Although there is no immediate interest in drilling in some offshore areas, “it is crucial for the federal government to maintain flexibility to adapt” to unexpected world 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 seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want him to shut down new offshore drilling in the fight against climate change.

Biden, that his decision of approve the huge Willow oil project in Alaska has drawn strong condemnation from environmental groups, has previously limited offshore drilling in other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.

Sandra Bundy, president of the Florida-based Business Alliance for Atlantic Coast Protection, said she was “thrilled and grateful” for Biden’s actions, which she said will protect the East Coast for generations to come.