The White House announced Monday that President Joe Biden will ban new offshore oil and gas drilling along much of the U.S. coastline.
In a statement announcing the action, the White House said the order would put approximately 625 million acres of ocean along the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Bering Sea at “environmental and economic risk.” He said he would be protected from “damage.”
It’s also an attempt to protect Biden’s climate change legacy from the energy agenda of Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump.
Mr. Biden plans to take advantage of an obscure provision in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) of 1953, which gives the president the power to indefinitely withdraw unleased land from the outer edge of the continental shelf.
Former President Barack Obama used the law to protect 119 million acres of land in 2016, but Monday’s move is even larger and would put further drilling in line with the U.S. government’s land reduction goals. It will be seen as a significant victory for environmental groups, which have long argued the contrary. Emissions that lead to climate change.
Last year was the hottest year on record.
“Drilling off these coasts could cause irreparable damage to the places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. It’s not worth the risk.” ” Biden said in a statement.
“As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we transition to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these shores for our children and grandchildren,” he added. Ta.
Biden’s decision brings the total amount of ocean he has protected to 670 million acres, more than any other president, and has doubled the oil and gas production increases he oversaw in his first administration. Trump’s plans for economic stimulus could be thwarted.
During his first administration, President Trump issued an executive order to overturn President Obama’s decision to invoke OCSLA in the final month of his term, but that decision was invalidated by the courts. That means Congress may need to act to reverse Monday’s announcement by the Biden administration.
The week after winning the 2024 presidential election, President Trump nominated Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright to lead the Department of Energy.
Mr Wright has previously written about the need to increase fossil fuel production to lift people out of poverty, and in a video posted to his LinkedIn profile in 2023, he said: “There is no climate crisis and we are are not in the midst of climate change.” Also the energy transition. ”
The Biden administration also said the ban would cover the entire eastern U.S. Atlantic coast and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, although many of the protected areas tend to receive less attention from the energy industry. Both areas have attracted interest from oil companies, although Trump himself moved to block drilling in these areas during his first administration.
In 2020, President Trump ordered a moratorium on drilling in areas where oil and gas exploration faced widespread opposition from Republicans in Florida and voters in North Carolina.
Biden said much of the area protected by Monday’s announcement is “development that will do little, if any, to meet the nation’s energy needs.”
Citing lessons learned from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which spilled 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Biden said, “You can either protect the environment and grow the economy or keep our oceans healthy. There is no need to choose one or the other.” , our coastlines are resilient, the food they produce is safe, and we keep energy prices low. Those are false choices. ”
“President Biden’s actions today are part of an administration-wide effort to recognize the impact of oil and gas drilling on our nation’s coastlines and make bold, lasting changes,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement. said.
“Today, the President reiterated what states, tribes, and communities have shared with us: a strong commitment to protect our oceans and coastlines from unnecessary oil and gas development and to support resilient oceans and coastlines. “We are taking actions that reflect an overwhelming need,” he added.
The announcement received a jubilant response from environmental groups.
“These conservation policies will make life safer for the millions of people who live along America’s coasts, the thousands of businesses that depend on our oceans, and our vulnerable wildlife,” said Drew Caputo, vice president of Earthjustice. “This will ensure a healthy environment and room for further prosperity.” A nonprofit organization specializing in environmental litigation.
“Our nation’s coastlines are home to millions of Americans who rely on clean beaches, abundant wildlife, and thriving fisheries,” said Joseph Gordon, campaign director for ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana. “Billions of dollars of economic activity is supported.” “President Biden’s new protections add to this history of bipartisanship, which includes President Trump’s previous withdrawal in the southeastern United States in 2020.”
Contributed by Tara Prindiville.
