Biden bans offshore drilling, Trump promises to ‘lift it’

Trump promises to overturn oil and gas ban on much of U.S. coast, but that’s easier said than done

President Trump returns to the White House later this month, and his administration is said to be planning new and expanded oil and LNG drilling. This is expected to pave the way for increased federal property and offshore operations.

However, President Biden derailed those plans by signing a “memorandum concerning the cancellation of oil or natural gas leases in certain areas of the United States’ Outer Continental Shelf.” Biden has banned leasing in many areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, citing public administration, climate change and possible harm to coastal areas and marine life.

The list is quite extensive and includes the North Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Florida Straits to the east, and the Washington/Oregon, Northern California, Central California, and Southern California portions to the west. The moratorium also extends into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea climate recovery area near Alaska.

More: President-elect Trump will allow new and expanded gas and oil drilling

There is no expiration date, but Biden noted that the right to revoke the district’s existing leases is not affected. However, he said the move “prevents the withdrawal of the area from being considered for any future oil or gas leasing for exploration, development or production purposes.”

Although the memo was filled with government legalese, the White House released a statement from Biden saying he was “taking action to protect the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the northern Bering Sea in Alaska from oil and natural gas drilling and its hazards.” It may cause. ”

He went on to say, “Drilling along these shores could cause irreversible damage to the places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.” The president went on to reference the Deepwater Horizon disaster and said, ” It’s not worth the risk”.

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The Interior Department filled in some blanks as they noted that the memorandum withdrew more than 625 million acres. It’s the largest divestment in U.S. history, but the department noted that oil production from federal lands and waters reached an all-time high last year.

In fiscal year 2023, “the Outer Continental Shelf produced approximately 675 million barrels of oil and 796 billion cubic feet of natural gas, accounting for approximately 14% of all U.S. oil production and 2% of natural gas production.” That sounds like a lot, but the government says nearly all of production All are being done in the “western and central Gulf of Mexico, where more than 80 percent of the 12 million acres leased are not yet in industrial production.”

Although Inauguration Day is only two weeks away, CNN noted that executive actions are difficult to reverse and require congressional approval. Despite such obstacles, Trump promised to “lift the ban immediately.”