President Biden is preparing to issue an executive order to permanently ban the development of new offshore Oil & Gas in some coastal waters of the USA, locking in irreversible protections in the last weeks before Trump took office.

According to informed sources, Biden will issue an executive order in a few days to prohibit the sale of new drilling rights in certain areas of the US Outer Continental Shelf. Due to the fact that this decision has not yet been made public, the sources requested anonymity.

This move will certainly block President-elect Trump from pushing for more domestic Energy production. Unlike other easily reversible administrative actions, the executive order Biden plans to issue is rooted in a 72-year-old law that grants the White House broad discretion to permanently protect US waters from Oil & Gas leasing, without explicitly authorizing the president to revoke it.

Democratic lawmakers and environmental organizations are lobbying Biden to 'maximally permanently protect' offshore drilling, arguing that this action is crucial for safeguarding vulnerable coastal Communities, protecting marine ecosystems from oil spills, and addressing climate change.

For more than two years, Biden administration officials have been considering this approach, which has intensified since Trump's victory.

The full scope of the upcoming offshore protection measures is not yet clear, but they will include waters deemed crucial for coastal regions. Congressional Democrats and dozens of environmental organizations have urged Biden to make a comprehensive announcement, though recent discussions have focused on parts of the Pacific near California and eastern Gulf waters near Florida.

The declaration will not affect drilling and other activities on existing leases.

It is expected that Trump will order the repeal of these protective measures, but it is currently unclear whether he will be successful. During his first term, Trump attempted to overturn former President Obama's orders protecting the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean, but this move was rejected by a federal district court in 2019.

Trump himself actually used the same regulations to block Oil & Gas leasing in waters near Florida and along the southeastern coast of the USA to attract voters in the final weeks of the 2020 presidential campaign.

Protectionists argue that this move allows the USA to meet future Energy needs without jeopardizing National Security, Community, and critical areas for marine life.

Joseph Gordon, campaign director of the advocacy organization Oceana, said, "Our coastline is home to millions of Americans and supports billions of dollars in economic activity that relies on healthy coasts, abundant wildlife, and thriving Fishery."

Supporters of the Oil & Gas industry warn against imposing new restrictions, arguing that the world will still need fossil fuels in the coming decades. Daniel Turner, founder of Power The Future, said that new restrictions would be an attack on US Energy, an organization that supports workers in the Oil, Coal, and Henry Hub Natural Gas industries. He stated, "President Trump should overturn this order on the first day and quickly send Biden's green agenda to the trash bin of history."