Biden intends to impede certain offshore drilling activities in a manner that Trump might find challenging to reverse.
Biden's forthcoming executive order will utilize the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, a regulation that grants presidents substantial power to exclude federal waters from future oil and gas leasing and development, as per a source within the administration.
The act does not grant presidents explicit authority to reverse the action and reintroduce federal waters into development, implying that President-elect Donald Trump would necessitate Congress to amend the law prior to counteracting Biden's decision.
As Biden's tenure nears its end, environmental and climate organizations have requested him to withdraw regions from the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as other parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – permanently securing these areas from future drilling. This action would safeguard against future oil spills and prevent additional greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels entering the atmosphere.
"We hope it will be part of a very vast area," said Oceana campaign director Joseph Gordon to CNN, further adding that Biden's actions "will extend and make permanent those protections."
Despite an amicable stance towards the oil and gas industry, Trump also pursued a ban on offshore drilling during his presidency. Following a proposal for significant offshore drilling expansion in the early stages of his term, Trump, in 2020, extended the ban on future oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf and expanded it to incorporate the Atlantic coastlines of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
"Every president this century has acknowledged that certain ocean areas are just too hazardous or too fragile to drill," remarked Earthjustice vice president of litigation for lands, wildlife, and oceans Drew Caputo in a statement.
The White House remained silent on the matter. First reported by Bloomberg, Biden's move.
Energy analysts informed CNN that the decision will not significantly influence US oil production, which has achieved new records under Biden.
"It's not particularly consequential for US exploration and production in the future," said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service. Kloza highlighted the existence of numerous existing offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and added that offshore projects generally take 6-8 years to materialize.
"I don't see it as having any real impact on US supply, exports, or imports," Kloza stated.
Regardless, the American Petroleum Institute criticized Biden's decision, referring to it as a "misguided approach."
"We anticipate collaborating with the incoming administration to provide the benefits of offshore oil and natural gas production, including jobs, investment, and domestic energy security," articulated API senior vice president of policy, economics, and regulatory affairs Dustin Meyer in a statement.
Additionally, the Biden administration is expected to announce the establishment of two new national monuments in California in the coming week, as per a source familiar with the planning.
Biden will designate the Chuckwalla National Monument in Southern California near Joshua Tree National Park and the Sáttítla National Monument in Northern California, the source revealed. Native tribes have been actively advocating for the administration to shield the land from energy development.
Biden has thus far preserved or expanded ten national monuments as president.
The decision not to reintroduce federal waters for oil and gas development requires Congressional amendment, considering the 1953 Act's limitations on Presidential power, similar to what President-elect Donald Trump might have faced.
Environmental organizations are urging Biden to protect more areas from future drilling, with the hope that his actions will extend and make permanent these protections, as stated by Oceana campaign director Joseph Gordon.
