Biden will ban some offshore oil and gas drilling in a way that Trump can’t easily undo

Offshore oil rig in the Gulf Coast | iStock

President Joe Biden is planning to ban the development of offshore oil and gas across 625 million acres of United States coastal waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and eastern Gulf of Mexico.

The move is an effort to provide permanent protection of U.S. coastal waters and the communities that rely on them from oil and gas drilling and the risk of damaging oil spills, reported Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, Biden is leaving open the option of new oil and gas leases in western and central parts of the Gulf that provide roughly 14 percent of the country’s output, according to those familiar with the matter.

“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,” Biden said in a statement, as The Guardian reported. “In balancing the many uses and benefits of America’s ocean, it is clear to me that the relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas I am withdrawing [does] not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling.”

The ban includes the coasts of Washington, Oregon, California and part of Alaska’s Bering Sea.

Trump said when he resumes the presidency on January 20 he would “unban” oil and gas drilling in the area “immediately,” though it is not clear if he will have the ability to easily implement this.

The ban has no expiration date and may be difficult for Trump to overturn, both politically and legally.

What has been made evident by scientists is that the production of fossil fuels must be slashed in order to avoid the most extreme impacts of climate change.

The Biden administration’s action is being taken under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which gives the government authority over offshore resources. Eight presidents — including Trump — have previously withdrawn U.S. territory from fossil fuel drilling under the act. Trump used it to ban the extraction of oil and gas off the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The law does not include an express provision allowing presidents to reverse a ban on drilling without going through Congress, however.

Environmental groups approved of the bipartisan decision, which would protect marine wildlife and coastal communities from future oil spills.

Calling it an “epic ocean victory!” Joseph Gordon, conservation nonprofit Oceana’s campaign director for climate and energy, joined other environmental groups in praising the action, reported The Guardian.

“No one wants an oil spill off their coast, and our hope is that this can be a bipartisan historic moment where areas are set aside for future generations,” Gordon said during a phone interview, as The Washington Post reported.

Industry groups were not as pleased, with National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito expressing a desire to keep some areas open to drilling.

“Even if there’s no immediate interest in some areas, it’s crucial for the federal government to maintain the flexibility to adapt its energy policy, especially in response to unexpected global changes like the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Milito stated in an email, as reported by The Washington Post. “Blanket bans only serve to shift energy production and economic opportunities abroad, benefiting countries like Russia at our expense.”

The move is the most recent of the Biden administration’s 11th-hour climate policy decisions before Trump returns to the White House.

“Americans on both sides of the aisle support protecting our oceans from big oil giveaways,” said Evergreen Action Executive Director Lena Moffitt, as The Guardian reported. “President Biden’s bold action today underscores that we cannot afford the continued expansion of oil and gas production if we are to meet our climate targets and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.”

This article is reposted from EcoWatch.

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CONTRIBUTOR

Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

Cristen Hemingway Jaynes covers the environment, climate change, oceans, the Arctic, animals, anthropology, astronomy, plastics pollution, and politics. She holds a JD and an Ocean & Coastal Law Certificate from the University of Oregon School of Law.