Biden will reportedly give one last gift to the environmental lobby before heading out the door — is that exciting?

From the Daily Caller

Nick Pope
Contributor

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 .

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. (Related: White House strongly backs adversarial environmental groups harassing administration officials and Democrats)

President Joe Biden waves to media as he walks

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 undo” because it is authorized by a law that allows the president to do so without clear Protect federal waters from drilling under specified circumstances. 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.

After the election, the lame-duck administration also worked to finalize climate policy and fund various green initiatives, such as blocking oil and gas development in Nevada's Ruby Mountains for 20 years and finalizing a massive taxpayer-funded green loan .

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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