In a last-minute move before his term ends, President Joe Biden announced an executive action on Monday that bans new oil and natural gas drilling on over 625 million acres of U.S. coastal and offshore waters. The ban affects areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.
Biden invoked the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, a law that grants presidents authority to protect offshore areas from oil and gas development. The move could complicate President-elect Donald Trump’s ability to reverse the decision when he takes office, potentially requiring an act of Congress to grant Trump authority to resume drilling in federal waters.
“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.”
The move was swiftly condemned by Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, who called it a “disgraceful decision” aimed at “exacting political revenge” on the American people. Leavitt vowed that the incoming Trump administration would roll back Biden’s action, declaring, “We will drill, baby, drill.”
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) expressed strong support for Biden’s decision, praising the permanent protection of the East Coast, West Coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and select areas of Alaska. Reed, a longtime advocate for protecting Rhode Island’s waters, vowed to use legislative tools to uphold the ban.
“This is great news for Rhode Islanders, coastal communities, and everyone who enjoys clean water and pollution-free beaches,” Reed said. “President Biden’s action will make it harder for the incoming administration to sell out coastal communities and I will use every legislative tool available to protect the people of Rhode Island.”
The decision has received significant pushback from the oil industry. The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) decried the move as “catastrophic” for the industry. Ron Neal, chairman of the IPAA Offshore Committee, called the ban a “major attack” on the oil and natural gas sector.
Similarly, the American Petroleum Institute (API) criticized the decision, with CEO Mike Sommers arguing that American voters had supported domestic energy development in the election. “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 said.
Legal challenges could also loom on the horizon, as the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act was successfully tested in court in 2019 when a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to undo an Obama-era withdrawal of offshore drilling rights near Alaska.
In a radio interview Monday, Trump vowed to undo Biden’s executive action immediately. “Look, it’s ridiculous. I’ll unban it immediately,” Trump said on “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”
As President Biden’s time in office winds down, this final executive order is poised to leave a lasting legacy on the nation’s energy policy and the future of offshore drilling. Whether the decision can withstand political and legal challenges remains to be seen.
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