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Joe Biden is Weeks before President Donald Trump took office, he banned offshore drilling in vast coastal waters while promising to drastically increase fossil fuel production.
The U.S. president’s ban covers the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coasts of California, Oregon and Washington, and parts of the Bering Sea in Alaska.
A White House statement said the declaration protected more than 625 million acres of water. As soon as he re-entered the White House on January 20, President Trump announced that he would “immediately lift the ban,” but it is unclear whether this will be easy to do.
“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 coasts for our children and grandchildren,” former Vice President Biden said in a statement.
“In balancing the diverse uses and benefits of America’s oceans, I find that the relatively minimal fossil fuel potential of the area I am withdrawing from does not justify the environmental, public health and economic risks that new leasing and drilling may pose. It’s clear. “He added.
Scientists are clear that oil and gas production must be radically reduced to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. The ban has no end date and could be legally and politically tricky for Trump to overturn.
“Americans on both sides of the aisle support protecting our oceans from big oil giveaways.”
Biden is taking action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which gives the federal government authority to develop marine resources. A total of eight presidents have rolled back drilling zones under the law, including Trump himself, who has banned oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
However, the law does not explicitly provide for the president to unilaterally revoke the drilling ban without going through Congress.
Nonetheless, Trump vowed to undo Biden’s move, with the president-elect’s spokeswoman, Carolyn Leavitt, calling it a “disgraceful decision” and saying the incoming administration would “train, baby, train.”
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, Trump said the rule would be overturned on his first day in office. “We will lift the ban immediately,” he said. “I have the right to lift the ban.”
On the other hand, environmental groups welcomed this decision. “This is a great victory at sea!” said Joseph Gordon, director of climate and energy at conservation nonprofit Oceana. “Our precious coastal communities are now protected for future generations.”
“Americans on both sides of the aisle support protecting our oceans from Big Oil giveaways,” said Lena Moffitt, executive director of Evergreen Action. “President Biden’s bold action today highlights that if we want to meet our climate goals and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, we cannot continue to increase oil and gas production.”
“With today’s withdrawal, President Biden has now preserved more than 670 million acres of American lands, waters and oceans, more than any president in history,” the White House said.
The move is the latest in a series of last-minute climate policy actions taken by the Biden administration before President Trump returns to the White House.
In mid-December, the outgoing administration announced ambitious new climate goals that would see the United States reduce economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 61 to 66 percent below 2005 levels by 2035, in line with the landmark Paris Agreement. Trump is expected to ignore this goal and withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Biden is also expected to announce two new national monuments in California, designated protected land at the president’s discretion, before he leaves office. During his last term, Trump reduced the size of two previously established national monuments in Utah.
The outgoing Biden administration has positioned itself as a historic leader on environmental policy, passing comprehensive legislation to boost clean energy production and uptake of electric vehicles. But the president has overseen a record boom in oil and gas production and offered drilling leases at higher prices. The ratio is higher than that of Trump.
Climate advocates have urged Biden to declare a climate emergency and reverse increased gas exports from U.S.-based shipping terminals before President Trump’s new term.
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