Biden Bans New Oil and Gas Drilling in 625 Million Acres of Federal Waters

The executive order prohibits offshore drilling in large areas of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

President Joe Biden in Washington on Nov. 7, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

President Joe Biden on Jan. 6 said he is banning new oil and gas drilling in more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean, including the Atlantic Ocean, off the East Coast, and the Pacific Ocean, off the West Coast.

Biden’s order, issued using authority from the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, also applies to portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the White House said.

The president said that the areas he is withdrawing from fossil fuel use show “relatively minimal potential” that does not justify possible environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling.

“I am taking action to protect the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from oil and natural gas drilling and the harm it can cause,” Biden, who is set to leave office on Jan. 20, said in a statement. “My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. It is not worth the risks.

“As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”

The ban on future oil and natural gas leasing has no expiration date.

A spokeswoman for President-elect Donald Trump said that Biden’s move was “a disgraceful decision“ at odds with the mandate given by the American people to Trump to increase drilling and lower gas prices. She added, ”Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”

The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas trade association, also panned the move.

“American voters sent a clear message in support of domestic energy development, and yet the current administration is using its final days in office to cement a record of doing everything possible to restrict it,” Mike Sommers, the institute’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

Some environmental advocates hailed Biden’s action.

“This is an epic ocean victory!” said Joseph Gordon, campaign director for the environmental group Oceana.

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 Associated Press contributed to this report.