Drill, baby don't.
In a final push to protect US environmental policies and his presumed legacy, outgoing President Joe Biden on Monday issued last-ditch executive orders to restrict both onshore and offshore oil drilling in America’s final Arctic frontier. Alaskan state officials called it unconstitutional.
Even with the impending inauguration of incoming President Donald Trump, that didn’t stop Alaska officials from suing the Biden administration in response to a botched lease sale that was to take place this week.
The state’s lawsuit came after the Interior Department announced on Monday that no oil or gas companies submitted bids to drill during a congressionally mandated lease sale by law under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Legislators blamed Biden for scaring off any interested oil companies from bidding on the sale which was to take place on Friday.
Alaska’s newly elected Congressman Nick Begich condemned Biden’s offshore drilling restrictions as harmful to local communities reliant on oil and gas production.
“Joe Biden is a son of a bitch,” Begich posted on social media, referring specifically to Cook Inlet’s natural gas supply, which serves much of South-central Alaska.
But Laura Daniel-Davis, acting deputy secretary of the Interior Department, praised the dearth of bids as a victory for environmental protection. “The lack of interest from oil companies in development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge reflects what we and they have known all along — there are some places too special and sacred to put at risk with oil and gas drilling,” she said in a statement.
Critics complained that no serious company would bid amid such intense regulatory uncertainty.
For years Republicans, led by its Alaskan contingent, have pushed to open both offshore and onshore areas to oil development. Meanwhile, Democrats and environmental groups have fought to protect the ANWR refuge, home to grizzly bears, caribou, and polar bears, as well as lands considered sacred by the Gwich’in people.
Biden previously suspended drilling leases issued during Trump’s presidency, citing legal deficiencies.
Biden’s offshore drilling ban also includes more than 250 million hectares on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Biden framed the decision as a step toward safeguarding coastal communities and addressing climate concerns.
“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,” Biden said.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and state Attorney General Treg Taylor both blasted the move, with Taylor calling the lease restrictions an “unlawful detour.”
Analysts predict that energy companies will hold off on bidding for federal leases in Alaska until Trump’s administration takes control and potentially reopens larger areas for drilling.
Still, legal battles over Arctic drilling are expected to continue. Previous efforts by Trump to overturn offshore drilling bans were blocked by federal courts, and environmental groups have vowed to challenge any renewed attempts.
But Trump said Biden’s orders would not carry the day.
"Banning offshore drilling will not stand. I will reverse it immediately," Trump said at a news conference. He added: "I will revoke the offshore oil, gas drilling ban in vast areas on day one."
