Biden’s time with the reins is almost over. But that isn’t stopping him from doing as much damage as possible.
And now Joe Biden made a concerning last minute order that left Republicans up in arms.
With just two weeks left in his term, President Biden is moving to lock down vast portions of U.S. coastal waters, banning new offshore oil and gas drilling in a bid to thwart potential plans by the incoming Trump administration to expand drilling operations.
Invoking his authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Biden announced protections for coastal areas along the East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and sections of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.
“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,” Biden said.
He added, “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.”
While Biden’s move spares significant portions of the Gulf of Mexico where most U.S. offshore drilling occurs, it imposes future drilling bans along critical coastlines, including California and Florida.
The protections, which cover over 625 million acres of federal waters, could be challenging for President-elect Donald Trump to undo, potentially requiring congressional action to reverse them.
Trump’s record on offshore drilling is far from straightforward. In 2020, he signed a memorandum blocking drilling off Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina coasts until 2032 — an apparent response to fierce opposition in those states.
However, this came after his administration initially sought to expand offshore drilling dramatically. Now, Trump has reiterated his commitment to “energy dominance,” promising to ramp up oil and gas production and reverse Biden’s climate-driven policies.
Environmentalists cheered Biden’s latest measure. “This is an epic ocean victory!” declared Joseph Gordon, campaign director for Oceana.
He praised Biden for aligning with coastal communities against drilling and upholding a bipartisan tradition of protecting U.S. coasts. Gordon noted that millions of Americans depend on clean coastlines for economic activities tied to tourism, wildlife, and fisheries.
Biden defended his decision as a measured approach, balancing energy needs with environmental risks. The withdrawn areas, he said, have “relatively minimal potential” for fossil fuel development that wouldn’t justify the economic, public health, and environmental hazards of drilling.
Not surprisingly, the move drew sharp criticism from Trump allies. Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Trump, slammed Biden’s action, calling it “a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices.”
She added, “Joe Biden clearly wants high gas prices to be his legacy… we will drill, baby, drill.”
Biden’s actions also reflect the tightrope he walks between opposing pressures. His administration has approved a minimum of three Gulf of Mexico lease sales between 2025 and 2029, meeting legal obligations under a 2022 climate law.
That law mandates at least 60 million acres of offshore oil and gas leasing annually to enable offshore wind development.
While environmentalists have condemned Biden’s approval of the controversial Willow project in Alaska, his administration has otherwise worked to limit drilling in Alaska and Arctic waters, keeping climate concerns at the forefront.
Biden’s final push to shield coastal waters leaves a clear mark on his presidency, setting up a clash with Trump’s incoming administration over the future of U.S. energy policy.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
