A new report claims that President Joe Biden is planning on issuing an executive order that would permanently ban new offshore drilling for oil and gas in some U.S. coastal waters ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later this month. The president’s executive order would make it difficult for the incoming Trump administration to undo the offshore oil drilling ban for certain areas.
Anonymous sources familiar with Biden’s plan told Bloomberg that the president’s executive order is expected in the coming days and noted that the executive order would block new offshore drilling in areas along the outer continental shelf of the United States.
According to Bloomberg, the Biden-Harris administration’s new oil drilling ban could make it difficult for Trump to carry out his plan to increase energy production in the United States. The outlet noted that while many executive orders can be easily reversed by the next administration, Biden’s plan is based on the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which allows the president to permanently protect U.S. waters from new oil and gas leases and does not explicitly authorize presidents to remove the protections.
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Bloomberg reported that the anticipated move from the Biden-Harris administration comes amid pressure from Democrat lawmakers and environmental groups to “maximize permanent protections from oil and gas drilling.” Environmental groups have encouraged Biden that by banning future oil and gas drilling leases, the president will “safeguard vulnerable coastal communities, advance the
transition to clean energy, and build on your climate legacy.”
According to Bloomberg, Biden-Harris administration officials have been considering a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling leases for over two years; however, the administration increased its effort to advance the offshore drilling ban following Trump’s landslide election victory in November.
While Biden is currently on track to issue more protections than any other president for U.S. lands, advocates of the oil industry have warned against additional energy restrictions, according to Bloomberg. While the exact locations of the coastal waters Biden is expected to issue protections for have not yet been revealed, sources told Bloomberg that the locations will be targeted, not widespread.