Biden bans new offshore oil, gas drilling in most federal waters: NPR

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is considering banning new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters, a last-minute effort to block possible action by the new Trump administration to expand offshore drilling.

Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, said he was using the authority of the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the east and west coasts of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of Alaska’s northern Bering Sea against future oil and natural resources. gas rental.

“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have long known: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and that there is no need to respond to our nation’s energy needs,” 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 coasts for our children and grandchildren,” he said. he declared.

Biden’s orders would not affect large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, where most U.S. offshore drilling takes place, but they would protect the coasts of California, Florida and other states from future drilling.

Biden’s actions, which protect more than 625 million acres of federal waters, could be difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to undo, as they would likely require an act of Congress to repeal them. Trump himself has a complicated history when it comes to offshore drilling. He signed a memorandum in 2020 directing the Secretary of the Interior to ban drilling in waters off the coast of Florida and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina until 2032.

The action came after Trump initially moved to significantly expand offshore drilling, before withdrawing in the face of widespread opposition in Florida and other coastal states.

Trump has pledged to establish what he calls American “energy dominance” around the world, as he seeks to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from Biden’s emphasis on climate change.

Environmental advocates praised Biden’s action, saying new oil and gas drilling must be sharply curtailed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. The year 2024 was the hottest in history.

“It’s an epic victory on the ocean!” said Joseph Gordon, campaign manager for the environmental group Oceana.

Gordon thanked Biden “for listening to the voices of coastal communities” who oppose drilling and “contributing to the bipartisan tradition of protecting our coasts.”

Biden’s actions build on the legacy of Democratic and Republican presidents to protect coastal waters from offshore drilling, Gordon said, adding that America’s coasts are home to tens of millions of Americans and support billions of dollars of economic activity that depends on a clean, abundant environment. wildlife and thriving fisheries.

In balancing the multiple uses of America’s oceans, Biden said it was clear that the areas he was removing from fossil fuel use had “relatively minimal potential” that did not warrant possible environmental, health and health risks. public and economic that would result from new leases and drilling.

A Trump spokeswoman mocked Biden, saying, “Joe Biden clearly wants high gas prices to be his legacy.”

Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called Biden’s action “a shameful decision designed to take 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.”

Biden has proposed up to three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, but none in Alaska, as he tries to navigate between energy companies seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want him to stop new offshore drilling in the fight against climate change.

A five-year drilling plan approved in 2023 includes proposals for offshore sales in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally propose if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development.

Under a 2022 climate law, the government must offer at least 60 million acres (24.2 million hectares) of offshore oil and gas leases in any one-year period before it can offer wind leases offshore.

Biden, whose decision to approve the massive Willow oil project in Alaska drew sharp condemnation from environmental groups, has previously restricted offshore drilling in other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.