Mon Jan 06 11:11:16 UTC 2025: ## Biden Imposes Sweeping Offshore Drilling Ban in Final Days of Presidency

**Washington D.C.** – In a dramatic parting shot, President Joe Biden has issued a sweeping ban on offshore oil and gas drilling across vast swathes of US coastal waters, encompassing 625 million acres. The ban, effective immediately, covers the entire Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast off California, Oregon, and Washington, and a portion of the Bering Sea.

The White House cited Biden’s climate change agenda and his commitment to conserving 30% of US lands and waters by 2030 as justification for the move. The President also referenced the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, arguing that the low potential for significant oil and gas discovery in the affected areas doesn’t outweigh the environmental and economic risks.

“My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs,” Biden stated.

This action directly contradicts the energy policies promised by President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to dramatically increase domestic energy production, reversing many of Biden’s environmental initiatives. Trump’s “Drill, Baby, Drill” campaign promise signals a return to prioritizing fossil fuels and dismantling climate-focused regulations. He has specifically threatened to overturn the Inflation Reduction Act and end offshore wind projects.

While Biden utilized the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to implement the ban, legal precedent suggests that a future administration may struggle to fully reverse it. A 2019 court ruling found that the act doesn’t grant presidents the power to overturn previous withdrawals. Ironically, Trump himself used this same act to ban drilling in parts of the Gulf of Mexico.

The ban has drawn immediate criticism from the American Petroleum Institute, which called it “politically motivated” and harmful to American energy security. Environmental groups, however, celebrated the decision as a victory for coastal communities and marine ecosystems. The incoming Trump administration faces a significant legal and political challenge if it attempts to overturn this substantial last-minute action by the Biden administration.

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