President Joe Biden recently signed two memoranda to curtail offshore oil and gas drilling across several key ocean and coastal regions in the United States, with the move impacting over 625 million acres. This measure involves a withdrawal of drilling permissions along the entire eastern US Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific Coast areas bordering California, Oregon, and Washington. Additionally, certain areas of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska are included in the withdrawal. According to the White House, these actions aim to protect coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies reliant on fishing, recreation, and tourism, from the inherent risks posed by offshore drilling.
These steps mark the invocation of Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), which grants the president authority to “withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf.” Biden’s administration draws on historical precedents as former President Barack Obama also used the OCSLA in 2015 to prevent drilling in several sites, including the Chukchi Sea Planning Area. Biden, in a statement, emphasized that his decision reflects the ongoing transition to a clean energy economy.
The decision drew sharp criticism from the political opposition. Former President Donald Trump, during a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, termed Biden’s action as “ridiculous” and pledged to reverse the ban upon assuming office later this month. Trump’s designated White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, expressed strong disapproval over Biden’s move on the platform X, labeling it as a form of “political revenge” against voters advocating for increased drilling and lower gas prices. With former President Trump set for inauguration in the upcoming weeks, the future of Biden’s newly implemented drilling ban remains a focal point for further legislative debate.
For more detailed coverage, you can visit the original report on JURIST.