On Monday, US President Joe Biden enacted a sweeping ban on offshore drilling across vast coastal waters. This decision come just weeks before Donald Trump takes office with plans to significantly boost fossil fuel production. The ban covers the entire Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast off California, Oregon, and Washington. A section of the Bering Sea off Alaska also comes under this ban.
Biden is taking the action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which gives the federal government authority over the exploitation of offshore resources.
Biden Enacts Offshore Drilling Ban
A White House statement announced that the declaration safeguards more than 625 million acres (253 million hectares) of waters. Biden emphasized the urgency of addressing the climate crisis and transitioning to a clean energy economy. Biden stated “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.”
The US President argued that the minimal fossil fuel potential in the withdrawn areas does not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks of new leasing and drilling.
Legal and Political Challenges
The ban, enacted under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, does not have an end date and could be legally and politically challenging for Trump to overturn. The law grants the federal government authority over offshore resource exploitation but does not explicitly allow presidents to unilaterally reverse a drilling ban without Congress.
Trump’s Fossil Fuel Agenda
During his campaign, Trump pledged to “unleash” domestic fossil fuel production to lower gas costs, despite record-high extraction rates. Following reports of Biden’s impending ban, Trump’s incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, criticized the move as “a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people.”
Environmental NGOs Applaud the Decision
Environmental NGOs welcomed Biden’s decision. Joseph Gordon, Oceana’s Climate and Energy Director, hailed it as “an epic ocean victory,” ensuring the protection of treasured coastal communities for future generations. The White House noted that Biden has now conserved more than 670 million acres of US lands, waters, and oceans, more than any president in history.
This ban is part of a series of last-minute climate policy actions by the Biden administration ahead of Trump’s return to the White House. In mid-December, the administration committed to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66 percent below 2005 levels by 2035, aiming for net zero by 2050 under the Paris accord.
