President-elect Donald Trump vowed to reverse President Biden's offshore drilling ban but faces a major hurdle: a 70-year-old law that may stop him.
During his campaign, Trump promised to boost American energy by expanding oil and gas drilling. He said Biden's last-minute move won’t stand in his way.
On Monday, Biden issued an executive order blocking new drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters. The ban spans the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea.
"It's ridiculous. I'll unban it immediately," Trump said on "The Hugh Hewitt Show." "What's he doing?" He called the move a threat to America’s economic future.
Biden used the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to enforce the ban, a 1953 law allowing presidents to restrict oil and gas development. Trump insists he can overturn it, but legal precedent suggests otherwise.
In 2019, a federal judge ruled that OCSLA doesn’t permit presidents to reverse bans imposed by prior administrations. This means Trump would need Congress to act if he wants the ban lifted.
Biden defended his decision, tying it to climate change efforts. He said drilling near these coasts risks irreversible damage and isn’t necessary for energy needs. "Now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren," Biden stated.
Trump’s spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, blasted Biden’s decision, calling it political revenge. "We will drill, baby, drill," she said, promising the fight isn’t over.