A few weeks before Donald Trump takes office, US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling off most of America’s coastline, protecting 253 million hectares of ocean. The move, made under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, applies to the east and west coasts of the US, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and part of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska, on Monday the 6th of January, report the BBC and Reuters.
During his campaign, Trump promised to expand domestic fossil fuel extraction to reduce gas costs, despite the US already having record production, but he could face difficulties in overturning the law.
Biden said the move was in line with both his climate change agenda and his goal to conserve 30% of US lands and waters by 2030.
He also referred to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that the low drilling potential of the areas included in the ban does not justify the public health and economic risks associated with further leasing.
“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beach-goers have long known – drilling off these coasts can cause irreversible harm to places we hold dear and are not needed to meet our country’s energy needs,” a statement from Biden said. “It’s not worth the risk.”
The statement came as Trump has promised to reverse Biden’s conservation and climate change policies when he takes office.
During his time in office, Biden restricted the leasing of new oil and gas drilling sites on federal lands and waters, drawing criticism from drilling states and companies.
The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953 allows presidents to prohibit leasing areas for mining and drilling oil, but does not allow previous bans to be overturned. This was confirmed by a court ruling in 2019 after Trump sought to overturn protections imposed by Barack Obama in the Arctic and Atlantic.
While Trump supported more oil and gas extraction, in 2020 he used the same law to protect the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida until 2032, possibly to win votes before the election. Biden’s decision will protect the same area without expiration.
Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called Biden’s decision “disgraceful” on X and repeated Trump’s campaign promise to increase US drilling without giving details.
The oil and gas industry trade group said the decision would harm America’s energy security and should be reversed by Congress, while the environmental group Oceana called it a victory for Americans who depend on clean coasts and fisheries, saying it would protect coastal communities for generations to come.
Trump, whose inauguration ceremony will take place on the 20th of January, is still expected to seek to challenge Biden’s decision. A final legal decision could be taken by the Supreme Court, which currently has a majority of Trump’s Republican justices.