The Biden administration announced a sweeping ban on future offshore oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of the outer continental shelf. The measure, enacted Monday, includes regions along the East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, parts of the West Coast, and the Bering Sea in Alaska. Citing environmental and economic risks, President Biden emphasized that the potential harms of drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resources. This action builds on prior restrictions, including a five-year leasing moratorium introduced in 2023.
Environmental advocates praised the decision as a significant step in combating climate change, while industry groups criticized it as a politically motivated move targeting the energy sector. The incoming Trump administration has signaled its opposition to the ban, with Karoline Leavitt, the president-elect’s press secretary, calling it “disgraceful” and vowing to increase energy production. Legal challenges may arise as the ban’s permanence becomes a contentious issue in future energy policy debates.
Key Points:
- The ban covers 625 million acres, surpassing the size of the Louisiana Purchase, and includes key coastal regions and the Bering Sea.
- Environmental groups lauded the decision as a major climate action, while industry stakeholders condemned it as politically driven.
- The incoming Trump administration has promised to challenge the ban and prioritize domestic energy production.
Biden Enacts Last-Minute Offshore Drilling Ban Across Vast Swath Of US Waters
The Biden administration announced Monday that it is banning future offshore oil and gas activity across 625 million acres of the outer continental shelf, an area larger than the amount of land included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, in its waning days.
The action will shut down future drilling along the East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, 250 million acres along the West Coast and 44 million acres of the Bering Sea along the Alaskan Coast. The law that President Joe Biden invoked to issue the policy does not give presidents explicit authority to revoke withdrawals approved by a former president, so the incoming Trump administration may have difficulty unwinding the ban as it pursues plans to unleash the U.S. energy sector.
“Today President Biden will take action 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. In protecting more than 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean from offshore drilling, President Biden has determined that the environmental and economic risks and harms that would result from drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resource potential.”
The White House announcement laying out the new drilling ban suggests that Monday’s actions secure Biden’s legacy on climate and energy policy, and the administration previously moved to cut offshore oil and gas drilling by issuing the most restrictive five-year leasing schedule in modern history in 2023. The 625 million acres affected by Monday’s announcement is a larger total area of land than the 530 million acres bought in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
Numerous Democrats and well-heeled environmental organizations lobbied Biden to take significant, permanent action on climate change on his way out of the presidency in advance of Monday’s announcement. Meanwhile, industry groups have slammed the ban, describing it as a politically-motivated parting shot at an industry that the Biden administration sparred with for four years.
Karoline Leavitt, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for White House press secretary, also ripped the decision in aMonday morning post to X, calling it “disgraceful” and promising that the Trump administration will nevertheless work to ramp up energy production.
The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
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