While the United States (U.S.) is one of the world’s major oil and gas producing and exporting players, the Biden administration has pledged to turbocharge clean energy growth, with several steps taken over the past four years to make this happen. President Joe Biden’s legacy has now added an offshore drilling ban, spanning over 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean, to the mix. The controversial move, which is welcomed by environmental activists as a blessing, has sparked the ire of Big Oil, companies and organizations connected with the fossil fuels industry, and the supporters of plans to up the hydrocarbon exploration and production ante, which were outlined by the President-elect, Donald Trump.
President Biden, who is on the brink of leaving the White House as his term at the nation’s helm is coming to an end, has disclosed plans to protect the entire U.S. East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, and additional portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska from future oil and natural gas leasing.
This move enables Biden to conserve more than 670 million acres of America’s lands and waters by using his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to issue two presidential memoranda, covering all U.S. Outer Continental Shelf areas off the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and additional portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska from future oil and natural gas leasing.
The White House, which claims this is more acreage conserved than any other president has done in U.S. history, explains that President Biden determined the environmental and economic risks and harms from drilling activities in these areas outweigh their “limited” fossil fuel resource potential. The withdrawals are said to protect coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and locals from oil spills and other offshore drilling repercussions.
Biden elaborated on his decision by saying: “I am taking action to protect the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from oil and natural gas drilling and the harm it can cause. 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. 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.
“From California to Florida, Republican and Democratic Governors, Members of Congress, and coastal communities alike have worked and called for greater protection of our ocean and coastlines from harms that offshore oil and natural gas drilling can bring. In Alaska, dozens of Tribes have fought to protect the Northern Bering Sea, a vital ocean ecosystem that supports their traditional ways of life. Vice President Harris and I have listened. In balancing the many uses and benefits of America’s ocean, it is clear to me that the relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas I am withdrawing do not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling.”