President Joe Biden is moving to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U.S. coastal waters.
Biden announced the move on Monday, just two weeks before he leaves office.
The White House says the action will protect more than 625 million acres of federal waters along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and swaths of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea from future drilling.
"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," President Biden said in a statement. "It is not worth the risks. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren."
Most U.S. offshore drilling takes place in the western and central parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Biden's actions would not impact these areas.
"We are so excited about this historic decision," said Joseph Gordon, campaign director at environmental group, Oceana. "It's really an epic, epic ocean victory."
"This decision is a lot about the future," Gordon said. "Most of these areas aren't immediately targeted for drilling, but the idea here is to set aside areas and turn the corner, show that we're committing to this transition to clean energy, even as we are at the crossroads of energy for the country."
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Opponents of drilling regulations say Biden's ban will hurt consumers.
"I think if we heard anything in the last election, the American people spoke, and they support domestic production of energy here in this country," said Amanda Eversole, Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer at American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil and gas industry in the U.S. "Consumers want affordable, reliable and cleaner energy. The American oil and gas sector can do that, and the Biden administration's actions today make it harder, not easier, to satisfy the American people's wants and desires."
The National Ocean Industries Association also criticized the decision.
"The decision to unilaterally block areas from future offshore oil and gas development is a strategic error," NOIA president Erik Milito said in a statement. "NOIA will work with the incoming Trump administration and Congress to reverse this ill-conceived policy, advocating for a balanced, pragmatic approach to offshore energy that promotes both our energy independence and economic growth."
The order from Biden could make it harder for President-elect Donald Trump to fulfill his promise to drill more upon taking the White House.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday, Trump said he would reverse the ban immediately upon taking office. But that might not be possible.
Biden said he is using his authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to execute the order. As a result, Trump would likely need an act of Congress to repeal it.
