In a last-minute effort to prevent the incoming Trump administration from expanding offshore drilling, President Joe Biden announced a presidential memorandum on Monday banning new oil and gas drilling in most US coastal waters. The sweeping ban covers over 625 million acres including the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska’s Bering Sea—and with no expiration date attached to the order, it could pose an obstacle to President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to “drill, baby, drill” after taking office.
“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs,” Biden said in a statement. “It is not worth the risks. 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.”
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Biden further emphasized that drilling could cause irreversible damage to cherished coastal areas and is unnecessary for the nation’s energy needs, highlighting the risks associated with fossil fuel exploitation, particularly in light of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This ban will notably not affect large areas of the Gulf of Mexico where drilling is already prevalent.
The White House has invoked the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to justify the decision, arguing that it aligns with Biden’s climate change agenda of transitioning to a clean energy economy. The president has prioritized protecting these areas from environmental and economic risks associated with drilling, citing minimal fossil fuel potential.
“In protecting more than 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean from offshore drilling, President Biden has determined that the environmental and economic risks and harms that would result from drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resource potential,” the White House said in a statement. “With these withdrawals, President Biden is protecting coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies – including fishing, recreation, and tourism – from oil spills and other impacts of offshore drilling.”
In response, President-elect Donald Trump criticized the ban, vowing to reverse it immediately upon taking office, claiming it undermines American energy security. Trump’s administration has expressed intentions to promote fossil fuel drilling, aiming for American ‘energy dominance.’However, the lack of an expiration date on Biden’s order could be legally challenging for Trump to reverse without congressional intervention.
“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. “Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”
This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact 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. https://t.co/NvWx7oA2vU
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) January 6, 2025
During his first term, Trump fought a lengthy court battle to reverse a similar order from former President Barack Obama, which likewise invoked the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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