The White House announced today that President Joe Biden is banning new offshore oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of the U.S. coast, taking the protected marine area to 670 million acres.
Biden, who is ending his term in just two weeks, exercised his authority under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which allows him to withdraw any unexcluded areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from future offshore drilling. Biden defends areas on the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska's northern Bering Sea.
“In weighing the many uses and benefits of America's oceans, it is clear to me that the relatively small fossil fuel potential of the areas I am withdrawing does not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would arise from new leases and drilling. ,” Biden said in a statement on Monday.
Biden continued, “The Deepwater Horizon oil spill [pictured above]man-made disaster that claimed 11 lives and spilled millions of barrels of oil into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is a stark reminder of the costs and dangers of offshore drilling to improve the health and sustainability of our coast and fishing industry and underscores the importance of the legal protections I am placing today.”
Previous presidents of both parties have used this authority to withdraw large areas from oil and gas leases. In 2020, the Trump administration protected North Carolina over Florida for 10 years due to widespread opposition to drilling from Republicans and voters, but the protection would expire in 2032. Biden's announcement now permanently protects these areas. Trump, however, says he wants to overturn Biden's oil drilling ban “on day one.”
Joseph Gordon, campaign director for ocean conservation organization Oceana, said in a statement, “President Biden's new protections add to this bipartisan history, including President Trump's withdrawal from the southeastern United States in 2020. generations.”
The oil industry currently holds more than 2,000 leases, according to Oceana's 2023 report, with 75% of that ocean space currently unused.
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