President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to immediately reverse President Biden’s new ban offshore drilling along most of the U.S. coastline, but he faces major roadblocks under a 70-year-old, irrevocable law.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised that, if elected, he would expand oil and gas drilling in an effort to boost American-produced energy.
However, Biden issued an executive order at 11 a.m. Monday morning to prevent such actions, just two weeks before his term ends, and announce a permanent freeze on most new oil and gas drilling in U.S. coastal and offshore waters in an area approximately covers 625 million hectares.
“It’s ridiculous. I will undo it immediately,” Trump said on the Hugh Hewitt Show on Monday. “What is he doing?”
President-elect Donald Trump said he will “reverse” President Biden’s ban on offshore drilling. (Sarah Meyssonnier)
“We can’t let that happen to our country,” Trump added. “It really is our greatest economic asset.”
The executive order, issued under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), aims to block future oil and natural gas leasing along the east and west coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and parts of Alaska’s northern Bering Sea.
Trump said he “has the right” to reverse such action, but given that Biden issued the order under a 1953 law that allows the president to issue a ban on oil and gas development , he couldn’t simply reverse this.
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In 2019, during Trump’s first term, a federal judge ruled that OCSLA does not allow presidents to undo bans enacted by previous administrations. This means Trump needs congressional approval to reverse Biden’s decision.
DCOR LLC’s Edith offshore oil and gas platform, right, and Beta Operating Company LLC’s Eureka oil and gas platform stand in the Beta Field off the coast of Long Beach, California, on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. (Tim Rue)
Biden said his decision stemmed from his efforts to curb climate change — one of dozens of steps in the Democratic president’s green energy agenda.
“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have long known: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is not necessary to meet our nation’s energy needs,” Biden said in a statement . “It’s not worth the risks. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we transition to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”
Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, also issued a statement criticizing Biden’s order.
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“This is a shameful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people for giving President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill,” Leavitt said.
