In a significant climate action, US President Joe Biden has imposed a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along much of the American coastline, weeks before Donald Trump is set to return to the White House.
The ban, which spans the entire Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific coast off California, Oregon, and Washington, also includes a portion of the Bering Sea off Alaska.
Environmentalists have praised the decision, which protects over 625 million acres (253 million hectares) of waters, while oil and gas industry advocates have expressed outrage.
Announcing the decision, Biden emphasized the importance of protecting coastal communities and ecosystems.
“Drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs,” he said, adding, “It is not worth the risks.”
The decision, made under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, grants Biden the authority to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling.
However, the law does not allow a president to overturn prior bans or revoke existing offshore drilling leases.
President-elect Trump, who has pledged to boost fossil fuel production and lower gas prices, criticized the move.
His incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, labeled the ban a “disgraceful decision”, accusing Biden of political retaliation.
Trump has vowed to reverse Biden’s environmental policies upon taking office later this month.
However, legal experts point out that the 1953 Act does not grant a president the authority to reverse previous administrations’ bans, making Biden’s decision potentially difficult to overturn.
A similar legal precedent in 2019 prevented Trump from undoing Barack Obama’s** protection of 125 million acres of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
While environmental groups hailed the decision, describing it as a “victory for future generations,” the oil and gas industry expressed concerns over its impact on American energy security.
Joseph Gordon of the conservation group Oceana praised Biden’s move, saying, “This is an epic ocean victory.”
In contrast, Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute, urged Congress to reverse the ban, warning of economic consequences.
Environmentalists argue that new offshore drilling would undermine US efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
The International Energy Agency estimates a 5% annual reduction in global oil and gas demand is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C – a critical threshold to avoid severe climate impacts.
