With just two weeks left in his term, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that has banned new oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters on Monday, using a 70-year-old law that could limit President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to easily reverse the decision.
Biden invoked the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to block future leasing along the East and West coasts, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.
The move will force the incoming Trump administration to go through Congress in order to ensure the new administration will be able to follow through with their promise to “Drill, Baby, Drill.”
The Biden administration defended the last minute decision as morally right.
“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,” Biden’s White House said in a statement.
“It is not worth the risks. 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,” his White House said.
Trump responded on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” Monday vowing to overturn the economic blow.
“It’s ridiculous. I’ll unban it immediately,” Trump vowed. “What’s he doing? We can’t let that happen to our country. It’s really our greatest economic asset.”
Trump also blasted the move on social media —
Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as as possible, from Lawfare such as has never been seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money wasting Hoaxes. Fear not, these “Orders” will all be terminated shortly, and we will become a Nation of Common Sense and Strength. MAGA!!!
A 2019 federal court ruling determined presidents cannot overturn previous drilling bans under OCSLA, meaning Trump would need congressional approval to reverse Biden’s action.
White House incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the move.
“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill,” Leavitt said.
The ban primarily affects areas with limited current drilling activity.
Federal offshore acreage provides 15% of U.S. oil production, mainly from the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Ron Neal, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America Offshore Committee, called the ban “significant and catastrophic” for energy prices and the economy.
“While it may not directly affect the currently active production areas in the Outer Continental Shelf and adjoining coastal areas, it represents a major attack on the oil and natural gas industry,” said Neal, who also serves as President of Houston Energy LP and CEO of HEQ Deepwater.
American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers urged policymakers “to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing.”
Meanwhile, environmental advocates praised the protection of coastal areas. “Our treasured coastal communities are now safeguarded for future generations,” Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon said.
Biden cited his administration’s conservation of 670 million acres during his presidency as part of the “America the Beautiful” initiative targeting protection of 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.