President Joe Biden signed new Presidential Memoranda that permanently bar future oil and natural gas leasing on more than 625 million acres of U.S. ocean waters. The move represents a bold step forward in the climate agenda of the Biden administration, which is looking to take office soon, as President-elect Donald Trump, for example, is going to head into office after expressing support for increased drilling expansion.
Extensive regions, such as the entire eastern Atlantic coast, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coastlines of California, Oregon, and Washington, and portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska, now fall under the purview of new offshore drilling bans. This effort, therefore, reflects the Biden administration’s commitment to protecting vulnerable coastal ecosystems, countering environmental risks, and fostering sustainable economic activities.
President Biden in a statement stated that he had bipartisan support for these protections. He indicated the shared concerns of Republican and Democratic governors, members of Congress, and coastal communities. “The relatively minimal fossil fuel potential in the areas I am withdrawing does not justify the environmental, public health and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling,” Biden remarked. He waved off arguments about framing environmental protection as an economic trade-off, saying, “We do not need to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy… Those are false choices.”
While Democrats hailed the Biden administration’s ban on new federal oil and gas leasing as an “historic decision” to boost clean energy development, Republicans have slammed the policy change. According to Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s incoming White House Press Secretary, it is “a disgraceful act of political revenge,” referring to the “will of the voters” of President Trump being disregarded “for his bold agenda to go back to unrestricted drilling.
Despite the criticism, the White House defended the move as part of a broader, ambitious climate strategy. Biden’s administration has made climate action a cornerstone of its policy, beginning with the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement on his first day in office, following Trump’s withdrawal in 2020. The administration has also championed key legislative achievements, including the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which together allocate nearly $500 billion for investments in carbon-free energy, clean technologies, and climate resilience.
Soon after the 2024 election, Biden had announced a new goal to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions 61% by 66% by the year 2035, based on 2005 levels. The administration said it was confident of this target because of the strengthened bases developed by previous investments as well as initiatives at state, local, and private levels.
These are among the more sweeping objectives the new bans on offshore drilling would fulfill in safeguarding the ocean and coasts but lessening the danger of extracting fossil fuels. The administration believes the move is an action necessary due to fears about environmental degradation, public health threats, and the economic weaknesses associated with oil spills and other catastrophes resulting from offshore drilling, as emphasized by Biden. The administration further noted that protection of marine ecosystems and the food sources they provide was necessary to ensure the resilience of coastal communities.
Biden’s decision marked a significant change in U.S. energy policy, which differed significantly from that of Trump. Trump has time and again touted fossil fuel development as a way to reduce energy costs and boost energy independence. His administration repealed several environmental regulations, focusing on the economic advantages of increased drilling. Biden has argued that the shift to clean energy can spur economic growth while fighting climate change, a position many climate scientists and environmental advocates share.
The timing of the announcement, just weeks before the administration’s end, adds to its significance. While the bans are designed to be permanent, they could face legal and political challenges under the incoming Trump administration. However, Biden expressed confidence in the durability of the protections, pointing to the broad support they have garnered and the minimal economic benefit of pursuing offshore drilling in these regions.
“This is about doing what’s right for our future,” Biden said. “Protecting America’s coasts and ocean is the right thing to do, and it will help communities and the economy flourish for generations to come.”
This decision seals the legacy of the Biden presidency committed to climate action, even with the political tides shifting. It paves the way for continuous debates on the future of U.S. energy policy, striking the balance between sustainability and economic and energy security concerns.