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President Joe Biden announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the US coastline in a move designed to bolster his environmental and climate legacy as he prepares to leave office.
The order will protect 625mn acres of ocean on the US east coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, as well as portions of Northern Bering Sea in Alaska, the White House said on Monday.
The executive action is expected to complicate the policy agenda of incoming president Donald Trump, who has vowed to “drill, baby, drill” and boost US oil production, even though it is already at record levels.
“My decision reflects what the coastal communities, business 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.
The Trump campaign said it was a disgraceful decision designed to exact “political revenge on the American people.” Biden’s action is likely to be challenged by the oil industry in court and face pushback from Republicans in Congress.
This is a developing story
https://www.ft.com/content/36da5d39-c66d-4515-b39d-d8a2b68fb715
