President Biden Blocks Energy Exploration

Incoming President Donald Trump has declared it his mission to bring down the cost of energy –one of the largest considerations and costs for American businesses and homes. To achieve this, he needs one key thing: more energy supply. With that in mind, President Joe Biden on Monday, January 6 removed 625 million acres of ocean from drilling leases, making it much harder for Donald Trump to meet his energy goals.

January 2020, when Biden came back to Washington, DC, climate change and environmentalism were high on his list of priorities and spending bills soon followed. So why did Joe Biden not “permanently” block drilling leases during his four years in office, and instead wait until he was ready to leave office?

Blocking the oil and gas leases was achieved with a simple Executive Order – although undoing it is far more difficult. Biden’s Executive Order uses the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, to take the area out of oil and natural gas leasing consideration. This means that to undo the order, Trump needs Congress to change the law. Unlike many other EOs, it can’t be rolled back with the stroke of a pen.

A Battle Ahead

The president posted on his X account, “I am taking action to protect the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska from oil and natural gas drilling and the harm it can cause. Now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”

Donald Trump, however, insisted that he would put an end to it, saying, “Look, it’s ridiculous. I’ll unban it immediately.” “We can’t let that happen to our country,” Trump added. “It’s really our greatest economic asset.” But with the narrowest of House majorities, it’s easier said than done.

Incoming press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, wrote:

“This is a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices. Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.”

Trump may well be able to get Congress behind his plans and reverse Biden’s actions, but that will take time and effort.

Whether Joe Biden’s decision to block oil and gas leases in 625 million acres of ocean will be beneficial to the environment is also a question worth considering.

1. President Biden used an Executive Order to ban the sale of oil and gas leases in 625 million acres of ocean.
2. President-elect Trump cannot simply undo the order – it needs to be done by Congress.
3. Less clean energy from natural gas could mean more “dirty” energy use.