Trump announces that he will immediately revoke the offshore drilling ban imposed by Biden

Donald Trump, the U.S. president-elect, said Tuesday that he would move quickly to lift a ban on offshore oil and natural gas drilling announced by Joe Biden, the outgoing Democratic president. "Banning off-shore drilling will not hold. Trump announced at a press conference that he would reverse the ban immediately. He said: "I'll revoke offshore oil and gas drilling bans in vast areas the first day."

The Republican Trump will take office on January 20, but it may be difficult to reverse Biden’s order that 625 million acres (253.3 million hectares of ocean) would not be used for new offshore oil and natural gas development.

According to a court ruling in 2019, the 70-year-old Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gives presidents the authority to remove certain areas from mineral leases and drilling, but not to reverse previous bans. This means that a change would require a congressional act.

Trump said that he would go to court, if needed.

Trump said that his administration would also open up oil and natural gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and would try to block any new wind projects.

Trump stated, "We are going to have a policy that no windmills will be built." (Reporting and editing by Franklin Paul, Nia Williams and Nichola Grroom)

(source: Reuters)