Outgoing US President Joe Biden on Monday banned offshore drilling across an immense area of American coastal waters. This comes weeks before Donald Trump, who has pledged to massively boost domestic energy production, takes office on January 20.
The ban encompasses the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska, according to a White House statement.
President Biden said the move was aligned with both his climate change agenda and his goal to conserve 30 per cent of US lands and waters by 2030. The prohibition will affect 625 million acres (253 million hectares) of ocean.
The President also invoked the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the low drilling potential of the areas included in the ban did not justify the public health and economic risks of future leasing.
"My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs," Mr Biden said in a statement.
"It is not worth the risks," he added.
During his term, Mr Biden has limited new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, drawing criticism from drilling states and companies.
Trump's Promise To Boost Oil And Gas Production In US
Preident-elect Trump has pledged to reverse Mr Biden's conservation and climate change policies when he takes office later this month. The Republican has been a vocal supporter of America's oil and gas industry and promised to scale up petroleum production, rolling back green alternatives.
His campaign slogan, "Drill, Baby, Drill" has become synonymous with his plan to boost fossil fuel production in the US and reverse climate policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Earlier, Mr Trump has said he "will terminate" the Inflation Reduction Act and issue an executive order to "make sure that [offshore wind] ends on day one."
"Starting on Day 1, I will approve new drilling, new pipelines, new refiners, new power plants, new reactors, and we will slash the red tape," he said in early September 2024.
Can Trump Overturn The Ruling
The White House said on Monday Mr Biden will use his authority under the 70-year-old Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to issue the ban. The act allows presidents to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling.
However, it does not grant them the legal authority to overturn prior bans, according to a 2019 court ruling.
That 2019 order came in response to Donald Trump's effort to reverse Arctic and Atlantic Ocean withdrawals made by former President Barack Obama at the end of his presidency.
Even Mr Trump used the law to ban sales of offshore drilling rights in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida through 2032. Mr Biden's decision will protect the same area with no expiration.
Reactions On Biden's Move
An oil and gas industry trade group said the decision would harm American energy security and should be reversed by Congress.
"We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing," American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers said in a statement.
Environmental group Oceana called it a victory for Americans who depend on clean coastlines and fisheries.
"Our treasured coastal communities are now safeguarded for future generations," Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon said in a statement.
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