Biden bans offshore drilling along Jersey Shore

President Joe Biden issued an executive action this morning permanently prohibiting offshore drilling for oil and natural gas in 625 million acres of American ocean on the East and West Coasts – including along the Jersey Shore.

“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. “It is not worth the risks. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”

The order marks what’s likely to be one of Biden’s last major actions before he leaves office and President-elect Donald Trump takes power in his stead. And Trump will have a difficult time undoing it, since the original law it’s based on – the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act – does not give presidents the power to revoke such bans unless Congress were to change the law.

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch), a Jersey Shore congressman who had encouraged Biden to take action against offshore drilling, said this morning that Biden’s decision was a victory for New Jersey and for the environment.

“President Biden’s action ensures that our coasts are permanently off-limits to ‘drill baby, drill’ exploitation,” Pallone said. “This is a commonsense win for everyone who relies on clean, thriving oceans. Protecting our coastal waters from oil drilling safeguards our fishing and tourism economy and critically-endangered North Atlantic right whales.”