Most federal waters are banned from new offshore oil and gas drilling by Biden

Oceana, an epic victory for the United States to protect its coastline from offshore drilling: Reply to the Biden Campaign and to the House Speaker

Biden’s actions build on the legacy of Democratic and Republican presidents to protect coastal water from offshore drilling, Gordon said, adding that U.S. coastlines are home to tens of millions of Americans and support billions of dollars of economic activity that depend on a clean environment, abundant wildlife and thriving fisheries.

Even if there’s no immediate interest in some areas, it’s crucial for the federal government to maintain the flexibility to adapt its energy policy to respond to global changes like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the president of a trade group. “Blanket bans only serve to transfer energy production and economic opportunities abroad.”

Green groups, meanwhile, celebrated the announcement. “We see this as an epic ocean victory,” says Joseph Gordon, campaign director for Oceana, a nonprofit that advocates for ocean conservation worldwide. The commitment is to make the corner from fossil fuels to clean energy. Millions of Americans who live near the ocean or visit places that are protected today will be reassured to know that they will never be subject to offshore drilling. [experience] an oil spill like Deepwater Horizon,” the devastating 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A familiar divide exists with industry representatives on one side and environmental groups on the other. For his part, Biden rejected that framing. He said that we don’t need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy. America’s oceans are the right thing to protect.

Trump tried to reverse the action taken by Barack Obama to protect the waters from oil drilling with no end date. There isn’t a provision for removing the protection of the waters in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Kevin Book of Clearview Energy Partners says the Trump administration can’t just wipe out these protections. He says that a congressional pathway is likely to be used as a means of resolution by the administration.

There’s a chance a budget reconciliation bill will reopen these acres to oil development. It would be attractive not just for the way in which the campaign promises of “drill, baby, drill” are accomplished, but also for the way that oil lease auctions bring in money for the federal government.

Book says that Republicans in Congress will try to repeal these protections as early as this year.

Joe Biden: Protecting the Coast of the United States, Not for the Importance of Deep-Inelastic Drilling

Biden made his decision based on what the coastal community, businesses and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off the coast can cause irreversible damage to places they hold dearest and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.

He said the time was right to protect the coast for children and grandchildren as the climate crisis threatens communities across the country.

The action came after Trump initially moved to vastly expand offshore drilling, before retreating amid widespread opposition in Florida and other coastal states.

Trump has vowed to establish what he calls American “energy dominance” around the world as he seeks to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from Biden’s focus on climate change.

New oil and gas drilling must be sharply curbed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to environmental advocates. 2024 was the hottest in recorded history.

Gordon thanked Biden “for listening to the voices from coastal communities” that oppose drilling and “contributing to the bipartisan tradition of protecting our coasts.”

The spokeswoman said it was a “sadistic decision” designed to exact revenge on the American people who voted for Trump. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”

A five-year drilling plan approved in 2023 includes proposed offshore sales in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development.