President Joe Biden has moved a step closer to environmental protection by declaring plans to protect 625 million acres of offshore areas from future oil and gas drilling. The move, announced by the White House on Monday, is meant to stop drilling activities in key regions that could be at risk from fossil fuel expansion. This move is considered as a response to the expected energy policies of the incoming Donald Trump administration.
Using the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
The White House is using the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), which allows the president to withdraw parts of the Outer Continental Shelf from oil and gas leasing permanently. The protected areas include parts of the East and West coasts of the United States, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska‘s North Bering Sea.
Biden stated: “I am concerned that this exploration and extraction would cause irreversible damage to these irreplaceable ecosystems.Protecting these areas is in step with the long term energy needs of this nation.“ “It is not worth the risks. At a time when the climate crisis threatens communities across this country and we are moving forward towards a clean energy economy, now it is the time to protect those coasts for our children and grandchildren,” he added.
Challenges for the New Trump Administration
Biden‘s action is expected to make life difficult for the new administration, which has ambitions to expand drilling operations in many areas. While experts say there is no legal mechanism under OCSLA for the next president to roll back such protection, it will be a challenging task for Donald Trump to simply reverse Biden withoutCongressional approval.
Industry Leaders Resisting
Incoming Trump administration officials have already condemned the move. Karoline Leavitt, the incoming press secretary, called it a “disgraceful“ decision meant to politically retaliate against Biden. She said it was an attempt to sabotage Trump‘s mandate to drill more and lower gas prices.
Leavitt tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”
The American Petroleum Institute‘s Response
Mike Sommers, president of the American Petroleum Institute (API), also criticised Biden’s decision, urging Congress and the incoming administration to reverse it. He argued that offshore resources are vital for ensuring affordable energy, generating government revenue, and maintaining global stability. “We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing,” Sommers stated.
Environmental and Economic Implications
The fight over offshore drilling has also echoed broader conflicts over environmentalism versus energy policy within the United States. Environmental groups welcome Biden‘s decision as part of a set of measures toward mitigating the impacts of climate change while saving marine environments. Industry advocates argue that it will further harm energy security and economic stability amid the backdrop of unstable global energy prices.
This decision marks a new chapter for the nation in its pursuit of a cleaner energy future but also sets up a renewed round of battle over balance between conservation and energy resource development.
