White House statement says declaration protected more than 625 million acres of waters
\n Washington
\nUS President Joe Biden on Monday banned offshore drilling across an immense area of coastal waters, weeks before Donald Trump takes office pledging to massively increase fossil fuel production.
\nThe ban encompasses the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska.
\nA White House statement said the declaration protected more than 625 million acres (253 million hectares) of waters.
\n\u201cAs 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,\u201d Biden said in a statement.
\n\u201cIn balancing the many uses and benefits of America\u2019s ocean, it is clear to me that the relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas I am withdrawing do not justify the environmental, public health, and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling,\u201d he added.
\nThe ban does not have an end date and could be legally \u2014 and politically \u2014 tricky for Trump to overturn.
\nBiden is taking the action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which gives the federal government authority over the exploitation of offshore resources.
\nThe law however does not expressly provide for presidents to unilaterally reverse a drilling ban without going through Congress.
\nDuring his campaign, Trump pledged to \u201cunleash\u201d domestic fossil fuel production in a bid to lower gas costs, despite the country already seeing record high extraction rates.
\nAfter US media reported late last week that Biden would issue such a ban, Karoline Leavitt, Trump\u2019s incoming press secretary, called the move \u201ca disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices.\u201d
\nEnvironmental NGOs, on the other hand, welcomed the decision.
\n\u201cThis is an epic ocean victory!\u201d said Joseph Gordon, Oceana\u2019s Climate and Energy Director.
\n\u201cOur treasured coastal communities are now safeguarded for future generations,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWith today\u2019s withdrawals, President Biden has now conserved more than 670 million acres of US lands, waters, and ocean \u2014 more than any president in history,\u201d the White House said.
\nThe move is the latest in a string of last minute climate policy actions by the Biden administration ahead of Trump\u2019s return to the White House.
\nIn mid-December, the outgoing administration issued an ambitious new climate target under the landmark Paris accord, committing the United States to reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035, on the path to achieving net zero by 2050.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
White House statement says declaration protected more than 625 million acres of waters Washington US President Joe Biden on Monday banned offshore drilling across an immense area of coastal waters, weeks before Donald Trump takes office pledging to massively increase fossil fuel production. The ban encompasses the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-453923","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n