The USA banned oil and gas extraction in the shelves of two oceans.

Ban on oil and gas extraction
Ban on oil and gas extraction

The President of the USA, Joe Biden, will indefinitely ban oil and gas extraction on over 625 million acres of US coastal waters, as it poses a risk and is not necessary for the country's energy needs.

According to Bloomberg, Biden made this decision through two presidential memoranda. His goal is to leave a legacy of environmental protection and climate change mitigation before the inauguration of Donald Trump, reports Economic Truth.

This decision will be harder to reverse than other measures restricting the use of fossil fuels. Biden is utilizing a federal law that allows presidents to withdraw US coastal waters from the oil and gas licensing program without the possibility of reversal.

Biden rules out the possibility of licensing oil and gas extraction along the eastern and western coasts of the USA, the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the Bering Sea.

This decision does not affect energy development that already has licenses and does not stop the sale of new drilling rights in Alaska or the Gulf of Mexico, which provide 14% of the country’s oil and gas production.

The President believes this is a 'balanced approach' between preserving nature and ensuring energy security.

Trump expressed a desire to overturn Biden's decision immediately upon taking office.

However, past court decisions show that the process of reversal may be complicated.


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