Biden Expands Protected Areas, Trump Responds

Continuing a surge of actions during his last days as president to cement his environmental legacy, President Joe Biden last week issued executive orders banning new offshore oil and gas drilling in over 600 million acres of federal waters.

Biden acted under authority from the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to withdraw the designated waters from the areas available to be leased for drilling. The protected acres include much of the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and part of Alaska’s North Bering Sea. 

In his statement announcing the orders, Biden said, “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. 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.”

Biden Protected More Lands and Waters Than Any Other U.S. President

“We applaud the Biden administration for protecting the coasts off the Pacific, Atlantic, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the Northern Bering Sea off Alaska from new offshore oil and gas leasing. Preventing the expansion of future oil development off our coasts will help meet our climate goals and safeguard communities,” said Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). Including the 625 million acres protected by this announcement, “President Biden has protected more of our lands and waters than any other U.S. president in history, more than 670 million acres of lands, waters, and oceans across the country. We are forever grateful to President Biden for his steadfast commitment and unparalleled leadership in protecting our communities, our health, our climate, and our treasured places.” 

Donald Trump’s Response

Naturally, incoming president Donald Trump—the most anti-environment, pro-polluter President in American history during his first term—immediately announced that he would reverse Biden’s action. However, it’s doubtful that he has authority to do so without action by Congress, and an extended legal fight over his promised withdrawal attempt is guaranteed.