News Body: President-elect Donald Trump has accused President Joe Biden of deliberately complicating the transition process by imposing a new offshore drilling ban that Trump cannot easily reverse. In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Biden is enacting “costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money-wasting hoaxes” to hinder his incoming administration.
On Monday, Biden announced a permanent ban on offshore drilling across 625 million acres along the U.S. coastline, covering the entire East Coast, parts of the Gulf of Mexico, the coasts of Washington, Oregon, California, and sections of the Northern Bering Sea. Biden cited environmental concerns, including preventing disasters like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, as the reason behind the decision.
Biden invoked the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to enforce the ban, which grants presidents broad powers to limit offshore drilling. However, the law does not provide an easy mechanism for the reversal of such bans, meaning Trump would need congressional approval to undo the measure.
Reacting to the move, Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt that he would aim to reverse the ban, calling it “ridiculous.” His spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, labeled the decision as politically motivated and harmful to Trump supporters, vowing that the incoming administration would push to expand domestic energy production. She reiterated Trump’s campaign slogan, “drill, baby, drill,” signaling a strong pro-drilling stance.
Ron Neal, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America’s Offshore Committee and CEO of Houston Energy L.P., criticized the ban as a significant blow to the oil and gas sector. However, he acknowledged that it might not impact current production areas in the Gulf of Mexico and other coastal regions. Energy experts echoed this sentiment, noting that the ban would likely have minimal economic consequences. Tom Kloza, an analyst from the Oil Price Information Service, explained that existing offshore projects already take years to develop and that onshore drilling remains a more significant contributor to U.S. oil production.
Notably, Trump himself imposed some offshore drilling restrictions during his presidency, specifically protecting areas off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Despite these actions, Trump has been highly critical of Biden’s energy policies throughout his campaign, pledging to approve new drilling projects, pipelines, refineries, and nuclear plants if elected. He also promised to roll back Biden’s initiatives to promote electric vehicles and offshore wind projects.
Environmental advocates, however, welcomed Biden’s move. Joseph Gordon, director of the ocean conservation group Oceana, praised the ban as an “epic ocean victory,” thanking Biden for responding to the concerns of coastal communities and continuing a bipartisan tradition of protecting marine environments.
The announcement comes at a time when U.S. offshore oil production has been declining. According to the Energy Information Administration, offshore oil accounted for only 15% of federal production in 2022, with most activity concentrated in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, onshore production—driven by advanced drilling techniques—has surged, making the U.S. a leading global oil exporter.
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