Biden to ban offshore drilling before Trump's inauguration
January 6, 2025
United States President Joe Biden is set to ban further offshore oil and gas drilling on Monday across most of the country's coastlines in his final days in office.
Biden will use his authority under the 70-year-old Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
The ban comes just weeks before Donald Trump is inaugurated, with the president-elect having pledged to significantly increase fossil fuel production while campaigning in 2024.
"My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time," Biden said in a statement.
"That drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs. It is not worth the risks."
Trump reacted negatively to the news during a radio interview on Monday, saying: "It's ridiculous. I'll unban it immediately... I have the right to unban it immediately."
What will an offshore drilling ban encompass?
All federal waters on the east and west coasts, as well as the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska are set to be protected.
A White House statement said the protected area will include more than 625 million acres (253 million hectares) of waters.
Biden added the move aligned with his climate change agenda and his goal to conserve 30% of US lands and waters by 2030.
"As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren," Biden said in a statement.
Can Trump reverse the ban once in power?
During his campaign, Trump pledged to "unleash" domestic fossil fuel production in a bid to lower gas costs. The pledge was made despite the US already seeing record high extraction rates.
However, any attempts by Trump to overturn Biden's decision could run into issues, with a 2019 court ruling expressing that under the Lands Act, presidents do not have legal authority to overturn prior bans without going through congress.
Trump himself used the same law to ban sales of offshore drilling rights in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida through 2032.
Biden's decision on Monday will protect the same area but with no expiration.
km/es (AFP, AP, Reuters)