President-elect Donald Trump intends to immediately reverse President Biden's new ban on offshore drilling along much of the U.S. coastline, but faces major obstacles under the 70-year-old irrevocable law. He said there was.
Trump vowed throughout the 2024 presidential election that if elected, he would expand oil and gas drilling to strengthen American-made energy.
But just two weeks before the end of his term, Biden issued an 11th-hour executive order Monday morning to forestall such action, blocking new oil production from about 625 million acres of U.S. coastal and offshore waters. – Announced that most gas drilling would be permanently halted. .
“It's ridiculous. We're going to lift the ban immediately,” Trump said on “The Hugh Hewitt Show” on Monday. “What is he doing?”
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President-elect Donald Trump said he would “unban” President Biden's block on drilling along the coast. (Sarah Maysonier)
President Trump added: “We cannot allow something like this to happen to our country.” “It really is our greatest economic asset.”
The executive order, issued under the Outer Continental Shelf Act (OCSLA), blocks future oil and gas leasing along the East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska's northern Bering Sea. The purpose is
Trump said he had the “right” to rescind such measures, given that Biden issued the order under a 1953 law that allows presidents to enact bans on oil and gas development. , it will not be possible to simply withdraw it.
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In 2019, during President Trump's first term, a federal judge ruled that OCSLA does not allow the president to overturn bans established by the previous administration. This means Trump would need Congress' approval to overturn Biden's decision.
DCOR LLC's Edith Offshore Oil and Gas Platform (right) and Beta Operating Company LLC's Eureka Oil and Gas Platform on Tuesday, May 18, 2010, in the Beta oil field off the coast of Long Beach, California. (Tim Lu)
Biden said his decision stemmed from efforts to curb climate change, one of dozens of initiatives in the Democratic president's green energy policy.
“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for years: Drilling off our coasts is an irreversible threat to the places we hold dear,” Biden said in a statement. “It has the potential to cause significant damage and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs.” “It’s not worth the risk. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and as we transition to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these shores for our children and grandchildren. It's time to protect it.”
President Trump's press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, also issued a statement criticizing Biden's order.
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“This is a shameful decision aimed at political revenge against the American people who gave President Trump more drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will Dig, baby, dig,” Levitt said.
