Biden Administration Bans Offshore Oil and Gas Activity on 625 Million Acres

In a move aimed at protecting the environment and combating climate change, the Biden administration announced a ban on future offshore oil and gas activity across 625 million acres of the Outer Continental Shelf. This area is larger than the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and encompasses the East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, 250 million acres along the West Coast, and 44 million acres of the Bering Sea along the Alaskan Coast.

President Biden invoked a law that does not explicitly grant presidents the authority to revoke withdrawals approved by a former president. This means the incoming Trump administration may face challenges in unwinding the ban as it pursues plans to expand the U.S. energy sector.

The White House announcement suggests that this action secures Biden's legacy on climate and energy policy. The administration has previously taken steps to reduce offshore oil and gas drilling, including issuing the most restrictive five-year leasing schedule in modern history in 2023.

The decision has been met with mixed reactions. Democrats and environmental organizations have praised the move, while industry groups have criticized it as a politically motivated attack on the energy sector. Karoline Leavitt, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for White House press secretary, called the decision "disgraceful" and promised that the Trump administration will work to ramp up energy production.

The Biden administration has also made a major push to expand offshore wind development along America's coastlines. However, some environmentalists and researchers have raised concerns that offshore wind development may be responsible for a number of whale deaths along the East Coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared unusual mortality events in response to surging death counts of North Atlantic right whales, Atlantic humpback whales, and Atlantic minke whales since 2017 and 2018. The government attributes these deaths primarily to climate change and vessel strikes.