Biden Set to Halt Trump's Energy Initiatives Prior to Departure, According to Bloomberg
The US president is expected to utilize a decades-old law to prevent his successor from allowing energy companies greater access to coastal waters. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The outgoing president reportedly intends to ban oil and gas drilling in large tracts of US coastal waters.
US President Joe Biden is set to utilize a 70-year-old law to prevent incoming President Donald Trump from expanding oil and gas drilling in significant portions of US coastal waters, according to a report by Bloomberg on Thursday.
Biden’s forthcoming executive order will reference the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which grants the president the authority to permanently safeguard waters from development, as stated by anonymous White House sources. These sources indicated that the ban will likely apply to certain areas of the Pacific Ocean near California and the eastern Gulf of Mexico near Florida.
Bloomberg characterized the ban as permanent, noting that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does not allow presidents to revoke protective measures once they are established. Nevertheless, some past orders have faced legal challenges and modifications.
During his first term, Trump sought to overturn an order from former President Barack Obama that protected 125 million acres of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, a move that was thwarted by a court ruling in 2019.
Before his election in 2020, Biden vowed to halt any new offshore drilling projects. However, he altered that commitment last year by announcing three new offshore oil and gas lease sales scheduled for the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027, and 2029. These three sales represent the lowest number proposed by any US president in modern history.
Trump has committed to significantly increasing domestic energy exploration and production, asserting on the campaign trail his intent to “drill, baby, drill.” The president-elect has also pledged to dismantle Biden’s electric-vehicle mandates, which require that 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 46% of medium-duty vehicles be electric by 2032.
In a related development announced on Tuesday, the US Department of the Interior revealed plans for a 20-year ban on oil, gas, and geothermal development in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. The department stated it would conduct a 90-day public consultation on the proposal, noting that the ban was requested by Native American tribes, conservationists, and hunters.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
US President Joe Biden is set to utilize a 70-year-old law to prevent incoming President Donald Trump from expanding oil and gas drilling in significant portions of US coastal waters, according to a report by Bloomberg on Thursday.
Biden’s forthcoming executive order will reference the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which grants the president the authority to permanently safeguard waters from development, as stated by anonymous White House sources. These sources indicated that the ban will likely apply to certain areas of the Pacific Ocean near California and the eastern Gulf of Mexico near Florida.
Bloomberg characterized the ban as permanent, noting that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does not allow presidents to revoke protective measures once they are established. Nevertheless, some past orders have faced legal challenges and modifications.
During his first term, Trump sought to overturn an order from former President Barack Obama that protected 125 million acres of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, a move that was thwarted by a court ruling in 2019.
Before his election in 2020, Biden vowed to halt any new offshore drilling projects. However, he altered that commitment last year by announcing three new offshore oil and gas lease sales scheduled for the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027, and 2029. These three sales represent the lowest number proposed by any US president in modern history.
Trump has committed to significantly increasing domestic energy exploration and production, asserting on the campaign trail his intent to “drill, baby, drill.” The president-elect has also pledged to dismantle Biden’s electric-vehicle mandates, which require that 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 46% of medium-duty vehicles be electric by 2032.
In a related development announced on Tuesday, the US Department of the Interior revealed plans for a 20-year ban on oil, gas, and geothermal development in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains. The department stated it would conduct a 90-day public consultation on the proposal, noting that the ban was requested by Native American tribes, conservationists, and hunters.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
