Biden bans most offshore drilling in one of his final acts of 'political revenge on the American people'

President Joe Biden evidenced his desire Monday to continue burning bridges and salting the earth on his way out of office, this time announcing a ban on all new offshore oil and gas drilling along the entire U.S. Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as in Pacific waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington and in the Northern Bering Sea bordering Alaska.

While Biden has approved numerous offshore wind projects that not only can have a devastating impact on wildlife and the environment but generate a tremendous amount of pollution, the White House framed his decision to ban offshore drilling as a way to help "ensure our oceans and coasts are resilient to the threats of climate change and nature loss."

Biden's ban, executed under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, applies to roughly 334 million acres of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf running down America's eastern flank from Canada to the southern tip of Florida; to 250 million acres of federal waters off the West Coast; and to 44 million acres of the Northern Bering Sea.

The White House suggested that Biden's unilateral decision to prevent Americans from taking advantage of the rich and internationally coveted resources under 625 million acres of U.S. ocean would not adversely impact the nation's energy needs.

"Drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs. It is not worth the risks," Biden said in a statement. "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."

'Drill, baby, drill.'

According to the White House, the deeply unpopular Democrat's decree "builds upon the Biden-Harris Administration's ambitious climate agenda and unprecedented commitment to protect America's natural wonders now and for future generations."

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act does not afford presidents the explicit authority to revoke such a ban and put federal waters back into development, reported CNN. Consequently, President-elect Donald Trump will likely need the Republican-controlled Congress to step up and change it before he can undo Biden's ban.

Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary for the incoming Trump White House, called the ban "a disgraceful decision 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," added Leavitt.

'Their final act is to burn what is left to the ground.'

American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers blasted the move, stating, "American voters sent a clear message in support of domestic energy development, and yet the current administration is using its final days in office to cement a record of doing everything possible to restrict it."

"Congress and the incoming administration should fully leverage the nation's vast offshore resources as a critical source of affordable energy, government revenue, and stability around the world," continued Sommers. "We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing."

The API noted that "robust offshore oil and natural gas development could generate over $8 billion in additional government revenue by 2040."

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration data, roughly 14.5% of U.S. crude oil was produced in 2022 from wells located in federally leased waters off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and 0.1% was produced in federal waters off the coast of California.

The U.S. Oil and Gas Association noted on X, "Having fully looted the Treasury, divvied up the spoils amongst their friends — their final act is to burn what is left to the ground."

The offshore oil drilling ban is the latest in a series of controversial 11th-hour decisions on the part of Biden.

The 82-year-old Democrat also:

• undermined Trump's pursuit of peace in Ukraine and risked a shooting war with a nuclear power by authorizing the use of long-range American missiles against Russia;
• gave his felonious son Hunter Biden an "unconditional" blanket pardon and commuted the sentences of child-killers, fraudsters, and other degenerate convicts;
• rushed through DEI-satisfying judges;
• vetoed a bipartisan bill that would have created 66 new judicial seats in the coming years in understaffed federal courts across the country;
• set high-reaching greenhouse gas emission targets;
• gave the highest civilian honor to George Soros, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and Cecile Richards, a woman who made millions of dollars at Planned Parenthood, an organization that helps snuff out millions of unborn American lives;
• gave the second-highest civilian honor to Jan. 6 committee leaders Liz Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson, as well as to former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac favorite who was credibly accused of sexually assaulting a waitress with Ted Kennedy in 1985; and
• took steps to "Trump-proof" the federal bureaucracy.

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