President Biden's Ocean Protection Move: A Closer Look

President Joe Biden has decided to ban future offshore oil and gas development in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This includes areas off the entire East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California. He explained that this move is to protect these areas from potential damage and because it's not needed for the country's energy needs. This decision is based on a 1953 law that gives presidents the power to withdraw federal waters from future oil and gas leasing. The law doesn't give presidents the authority to reverse this decision easily. In fact, the next president, Donald Trump, has already said he wants to undo this ban. However, he would need Congress to change the law for that to happen. Environmental groups are happy with this decision, believing it will prevent future oil spills and reduce climate-warming pollution. Interestingly, Trump also banned offshore drilling in some areas during his presidency. Even though he was generally supportive of the oil and gas industry, he extended a ban on future oil drilling in the Eastern Gulf and expanded it to include parts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The oil industry is not happy with Biden's decision, saying it will hurt their long-term ability to explore for oil and gas. Energy experts think this move won't significantly affect US oil production. They say there are already many offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and new projects take a long time to start. Biden believes this decision will help local economies flourish by keeping the environment and coastlines healthy. However, the American Petroleum Institute criticized Biden's decision, saying it goes against the support for domestic energy development shown by voters. In other news, the Biden administration is planning to declare two new national monuments in California to protect the land from energy development. These monuments will be in Southern and Northern California.