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Republican-led states filed a lawsuit challenging outgoing President Joe Biden’s recent ban on new offshore oil and gas development across most U.S. coastlines. Announced on January 6, the ban impacts 625 million acres of ocean, covering areas in the Atlantic and Pacific without significant drilling prospects. Biden stated the measure aligns with his climate change agenda.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, argues Biden overstepped his authority, claiming only Congress has the power to impose such a ban. Plaintiffs include Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Mississippi, and trade groups such as the American Petroleum Institute and the Gulf Energy Alliance. Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland are named as defendants.
While largely symbolic, as it does not affect ongoing drilling projects, the ban highlights tensions between environmental goals and energy policies. President-elect Donald Trump, set to take office on January 20, has pledged to revoke the ban. However, a 2019 court ruling on the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act complicates this, as the Act allows presidents to block areas from drilling but doesn’t grant authority to reverse bans. Trump may require congressional approval or face legal challenges.
The Biden administration has yet to comment on the lawsuit. Meanwhile, the legal battle underscores a growing divide over energy policy and environmental regulation.
Keywords: offshore drilling ban, Joe Biden, Republican lawsuit, climate change, oil and gas development, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, environmental regulation.
