Biden said in a statement: “My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.
“It is not worth the risks.”
Trump has pledged to reverse Biden’s conservation and climate change policies when he takes office later this month. However the new ban does not have an end date and could be difficult for the Republican to overturn.
Biden is taking the action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which allows presidents to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling.
The law, however, does not grant them the legal authority to overturn prior bans, according to a 2019 court ruling.
Trump himself used the law to ban sales of offshore drilling rights in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida until 2032. Biden’s decision will protect the same area with no expiry date.
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