President Biden Takes Action to Ban Offshore Drilling in 625 Million Acres of U.S. Ocean

The Biden-Harris administration released memoranda on Jan. 6 withdrawing more than 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean from offshore drilling. The action prohibits future oil and natural gas leasing in three ocean and coastal regions: the eastern U.S. Atlantic coast and Eastern Gulf of Mexico; Pacific Coast along California, Oregon, and Washington; and the remaining portion of the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area in Alaska. With this action, over 670 million acres of U.S. lands, waters, and oceans have been withdrawn from drilling under the Biden administration, marking the largest conservation effort by any president in U.S. history, according to a statement from the White House.

In 2024, oil output from federal leasing areas reached record levels, with the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) producing around 675 million oil barrels and 796 billion cubic feet of gas in FY 2023, according to the U.S. Interior Department. This output from the OCS represents around 14 percent of all oil output and two percent of natural gas output in the U.S.

Almost all of the oil production along the OCS is in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico, which has the potential to produce over 80 percent of the 12 million acres already under lease. The ban does not affect the three potential oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico planning areas, which are part of the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2024-2029. In December, the administration introduced a 20-year ban on oil and gas exploration to protect Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.

The memoranda drew support from environmental groups. The Southern Environmental Law Center  praised the decision to protect coastal communities and wildlife from offshore drilling.

However, the ban attracted criticism from industry. The American Petroleum Institute opposed the restrictions and urged the incoming administration to draft a new five-year offshore leasing program, “changing course from the weakest offshore program in history under the Biden administration.”  House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) stated that the ban would undermine domestic oil producers and U.S. energy independence.