Trump vows to undo Biden's sweeping ban on offshore drilling
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to quickly reverse a sweeping ban on offshore drilling announced by lame duck Joe Biden on his way out the door.
The moratorium on 625 million acres of federal waters covers most of America's shoreline - and may not be possible to undo without an act of Congress.
Transition interrupted
With his few days remaining in power, Biden has taken a series of audacious actions to frustrate his successor - from selling border wall parts to escalating the conflict in Ukraine and even sparing brutal killers on death row.
Many of Biden's final moves as president have focused on solidifying his climate agenda and making it harder for Trump to choose a new path.
While Biden has used the muscle of the federal government to shackle fossil fuel and shower green corporations with subsidies, Trump has called to end the "green new scam" while championing oil and gas production in his upcoming battle against inflation.
Trump targets ban
"Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as as possible," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Fear not, these 'Orders' will all be terminated shortly, and we will become a Nation of Common Sense and Strength. MAGA!!!"
Biden's moratorium on offshore drilling applies to the entire East coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast, and parts of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska.
In a statement on the executive order, Biden said the risk of environmental damage outweighed the "limited" benefit of drilling in those areas.
"My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses 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 in a statement.
"Drill baby drill"
While Trump is generally favorable to fossil fuel, he did restrict offshore drilling in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina toward the end of his first term.
But with rampant inflation ranking as one of the top concerns for voters in the last election, Trump has pledged to "drill baby drill" to tackle high energy prices.
“I’m going to have it revoked on day one,” Trump said at a Tuesday press conference of Biden's ban.
Biden used the Continental Shelf Lands Act, which allows presidents to withdraw federal waters from oil and natural gas leasing but does not allow them to unilaterally reverse those decisions.
Repealing Biden's move may require an act of Congress, but Trump can expect support from Republicans, who now control the House and Senate.