Joe Biden Announces Major Offshore Drilling Ban Across 625M Acres Of Federal Waters Ahead Of Trump Admin.

US President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a reception for new Democratic members of Congress at the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on January 5, 2025. (Photo by Chris Kleponis / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP via Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden arrives to speak at a reception for new Democratic members of Congress at the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on January 5, 2025. (Photo by CHRIS KLEPONIS/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff James Meyers
9:32 AM – Monday, January 6, 2025

President Joe Biden announced an executive action on Monday that bans new drilling and further oil and natural gas development on more than 625 million acres of U.S. coastal and offshore waters. 

Biden stated that he is using his power to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. 

He used the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which means that President-elect Donald Trump would be limited in his ability to revoke the action made by Biden. Congress would have to possibly intervene to grant Trump the authority to overturn it. 

“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,” Biden said in a statement. “It is not worth the risks. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country as we transition to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.” 

The move garnered quick condemnation from Trump’s incoming White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt. 

“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,” Leavitt wrote on X. 

Biden gave himself credit for what he called a legacy move in the fight against climate change. 

“From Day One, I have delivered on the most ambitious climate and conservation agenda in our country’s history. And over the last four years, I have conserved more than 670 million acres of America’s lands and waters, more than any other president in history,” Biden said. “Our country’s remarkable conservation and restoration progress has been locally led by Tribes, farmers and ranchers, fishermen, small businesses, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts across the country. Together, our ‘America the Beautiful’ initiative put the United States on track to meet my ambitious goal to conserve at least 30 percent of our Nation’s lands and waters by 2030.”  

“We do not have to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy, or between keeping our oceans healthy, our coastlines resilient, and the food they produce secure, and keeping energy prices low,” the statement added. “Those are false choices. Protecting America’s coasts and oceans is the right thing to do, and will help communities and the economy flourish for generations to come.”

Ron Neal, chairman of the Independent Petroleum Association of America’s Offshore Committee, also slammed Biden’s last-ditch offshore drilling ban as “significant and catastrophic.” 

“While it may not directly affect the currently active production areas in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and adjoining coastal areas, it represents a major attack on the oil and natural gas industry. This should be seen as the ‘elephant’s nose under the tent.’ The ban severely limits the potential for exploration and development in new areas, therefore choking the long-term survivability of the industry,” Neal, also the president of Houston Energy LP and CEO of HEQ Deepwater, said in a statement. “This move is a first step towards more extensive restrictions across our industry in all U.S. basins, including the onshore. If the activists are coming for anything, they are coming for everything. This policy is catastrophic for the development of new areas for oil and natural gas, but environmentalists will eventually look to also shut down offshore wind farms for most of the same reasons. President Biden and his allies continue to push anti-energy policies that will hurt Americans.” 

Throughout his 2024 campaign, Trump has vowed to deliver American “energy dominance” on the world stage as he looked toward bolstering U.S. oil and gas drilling, as well as distance from Biden’s prioritization of climate change initiatives. 

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Florida Gov. DeSantis Expands State Of Emergency To 51 Counties Ahead Of Hurricane Milton

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Florida, on September 26, 2024 as Hurricane Helene was set to slam into the Florida coast as a "catastrophic" Category 4 storm. An increasingly powerful hurricane threatening "catastrophic," dangerous storm surges and flooding was forecast to hit Florida's Gulf coast on September 26, as thousands of residents evacuated towns along the US state's shoreline. Helene strengthened into a hurricane mid-morning September 25 in the Gulf of Mexico and is "expected to bring life-threatening storm surge, damaging winds, and flooding rains to a large portion of Florida and the Southeastern United States," the National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest bulletin. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Florida, on September 26, 2024 as Hurricane Helene was set to slam into the Florida coast as a “catastrophic” Category 4 storm. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

OAN Staff Abril Elfi
3:40 PM – Saturday, October 6, 2024

SEE: https://www.oann.com/newsroom/florida-gov-desantis-expands-state-of-emergency-to-51-counties-ahead-of-hurricane-milton/; republished below in full, unedited, for informational, educational, & research purposes:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency for 51 counties ahead of Hurricane Milton. 

DeSantis (R-Fla.) declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Milton for 51 Florida counties, including all counties in the Tampa Bay Area.

Areas at greatest risk are communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Ian in 2022.

The Executive Order (EO) 24-214 includes Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, and Volusia counties.

Milton is expected to hit Florida and become a dangerous hurricane next week with damaging winds, life-threatening storm surges and torrential rain.

Over the next 36 hours, Milton is predicted to intensify quickly. By the time it reaches the Florida peninsula’s west coast midweek, it may be a powerful Category 3 hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center said Hurricane and Storm Surge watches will likely be required for portions of Florida.  

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