In a statement, Biden said, “My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts can cause irreversible damage to the places we cherish and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.
“It’s not worth the risk.”
Trump has vowed to reverse Biden’s policies on conservation and climate change when he takes office later this month. However, the new ban does not have an end date, and it may be difficult for a Republican to repeal it.
Biden is taking action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which allows presidents to withdraw the territories from mineral leases and drilling.
However, the law does not give them the legal authority to overturn previous bans, according to a 2019 court ruling.
Trump himself used the law to ban the sale of offshore drilling rights in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida until 2032. Biden’s decision would protect the same area without an expiration date.
