President Joe Biden is reportedly preparing to limit offshore oil and gas drilling in his final days in office, a move that would appease the environmental lobby and potentially thwart President-elect Donald Trump's plans to unleash the U.S. energy industry, Bloomberg reports . [emphasis, links added]
Biden's upcoming order will reportedly permanently ban new lease sales for oil and gas drilling in certain areas of the Outer Continental Shelf, according to a Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources.
Some elected Democrats and many well-funded green groups have urged Biden to implement permanent environmental policies in his final days as president to disrupt Trump's “energy dominance” agenda.
While the scope of the order is currently unclear, there have been internal discussions about targeting certain areas of the California coast and the Gulf of Mexico, according to Bloomberg.
It's unclear when the government will announce the policy, but it could be within days.
While many of the Biden administration's energy policies are relatively easy to reverse, The upcoming offshore drilling order will reportedly be permanent and “difficult to revoke” because it is authorized by a law that allows the president to protect federal waters from drilling without explicitly allowing them to revoke it. previous designationAccording to Bloomberg.
Still, Trump may try to overturn Biden's order, although it's unclear whether he will succeed.
Offshore protections clearly run counter to Trump’s campaign promises to deregulate and unleash the U.S. energy industry.
The Biden administration is also working to reduce offshore oil and gas activity by issuing the most stringent five-year leasing schedule in modern history in 2023.
The lame duck government has also been struggling to finalize climate policy and post-election funding for various green initiatives, such as Blocked oil and gas development in Nevada's Ruby Mountains for 20 years and ultimately provided huge taxpayer-funded loans to green energy companies.
Read the break from The Daily Caller
