Oceans Apart

BIDEN BANS OFFSHORE DRILLING BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE

In a statement from the Whitehouse released on 6th January 2025, the US President, Joe Biden has taken action to protect the entire U.S. East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific - off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, and additional portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska from future oil and natural gas leasing.

Biden has acted under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which allows US presidents to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling and it's the latest in a string of last-minute climate policy actions by his administration ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House. With his "Drill, baby, drill" promise on the campaign trail, it's no wonder that Trump has already vowed to revoke the ban "immediately" when he takes office, but he may find it difficult to reverse under US law which does not grant presidents the legal authority to overturn prior bans, according to a 2019 court ruling. It means a reversal would likely require an act of Congress, which is now controlled by Trump's Republicans.

"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. It is not worth the risks," Biden said in a statement announcing the decision.

"We do not need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our ocean healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure and keeping energy prices low. Those are false choices," Biden added.

Conservation and environmental groups have welcomed the new offshore drilling ban which covers more than 625 million acres (253 million hectares). And according to a statement from the Whitehouse:

"Nearly 400 municipalities and over 2,300 elected local, state, Tribal, and federal officials across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts have formally opposed the expansion of offshore drilling in these areas in view of its severe environmental, health, and economic threats. Nearly every Governor along the East and West Coasts - Republicans and Democrats alike - has expressed concerns about expanded oil and gas drilling off their coastlines. In Alaska, the new Northern Bering Sea protections are consistent with a long-standing request from more than 70 coastal Tribes based on the need to help sustain a vital and threatened ocean area, and the natural resources it contains that Indigenous communities have stewarded and relied on for subsistence since time immemorial."

In total, President Biden has now conserved over 670 million acres of America's lands and waters, more than any other president in history.