Biden’s ban on ‘ocean drilling’
A few days before the end of his term, US President Joe Biden has banned new drilling (offshore drilling) for oil and gas extraction in the deep sea. As a result, it is expected that the new President Donald Trump will be under some pressure. The BBC reported this yesterday.
According to the news, the entire Atlantic coast and the eastern Gulf of Mexico are covered by this ban, as well as the Pacific coast and the Bering Sea in Alaska. This is Biden’s last nail in the coffin of climate policy activities ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Incidentally, Trump promised to ‘free’ domestic fossil fuel production in his campaign to reduce gas costs. Although the United States has already set a record in fossil fuel extraction. Biden said in a statement, coastal residents, businesses and beachgoers have been at a loss for a long time. My decision is primarily aimed at protecting them. This decision has been taken to prevent irreparable damage to the ocean.
The BBC says that Trump is going to take office at the end of this month. Trump is planning to change the policy that Biden has adopted on climate protection. But it may be difficult for Republicans to immediately repeal this new ban. Joe Biden has taken this step under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953. According to a 2019 court ruling, the law does not provide legal protection to repeal their previous bans. It does not allow US presidents to withdraw any area already leased for drilling in the ocean.
A report was published last week that Biden would adopt this policy. At that time, Trump’s newly appointed press secretary, Carolyn Levitt, called it a “disgraceful decision.” She also said that this step was designed to inflict severe political revenge on the American people. Meanwhile, environmental organizations have welcomed Biden’s move. Joseph Gordon of the Ocean Protection Agency called Biden’s decision an epic feat of ocean conquest.
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