Biden opens the possibility of more offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico

The Biden administration released a five-year plan on Friday that would block all new offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, while allowing some drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and the south coast of Alaska.

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The Biden administration released a five-year
offshore oil and gas drilling development plan on Friday that would block all
new drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans within U.S. waters, but would
allow some lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and the south coast of Alaska.

The proposed plan, which has not been finalized,
could allow up to 11 lease sales over the next five years. It also includes an
option for the administration to conduct no sales. The Department of the
Interior is inviting the public to comment on the program.

Biden had vowed to suspend all new federal drilling
on public lands and waters, but that position resulted in legal challenges from
several Republican-led states and the oil sector.

As U.S. energy prices rise, the fossil fuel sector
has urged the administration to increase offshore drilling in an effort to
lower gas prices at the pump. But climate groups have argued that new lease
sales would exacerbate climate change while doing nothing to bring down prices.

A recent report published by Apogee Economics and
Policy said that a temporary suspension in new offshore oil and gas sales would
have minimal impact on gas prices for consumers — with prices edging up by less
than 1 cent per gallon over the next nearly two decades.

“From Day One, President Biden and I have made clear
our commitment to transition to a clean energy economy,” Interior Secretary Deb
Haaland said in a statement on Friday. “Today, we put forward an opportunity
for the American people to consider and provide input on the future of offshore
oil and gas leasing.”

The Interior’s most recent offshore oil and gas
auction was in November in the Gulf of Mexico. A court order later vacated the sale,
arguing the administration didn’t adequately account for the harm to the
environment and impact on climate change.

Nearly 95% of U.S. offshore oil production and 71%
of offshore natural gas production occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, according to
the Natural Resources Defense Council. Roughly 15% of oil production in the
U.S. comes from offshore drilling.

Environmental groups on Friday condemned the
administration for proposing limited new lease sales instead of announcing a
ban on all new drilling.

“The Biden administration had an opportunity to meet
the moment on climate and end new offshore oil leasing in Interior’s five-year
program,” said Drew Caputo, vice president of litigation at Earthjustice.
“Instead, its proposal to serve up a bunch of new offshore oil lease sales is a
failure of climate leadership and a breach of their climate promises.

Environmental groups have also argued that new
leasing would impede the White House’s goal to slash carbon emissions by at
least 50% by 2030 in an effort to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees
Celsius.

“This draft plan falls short of what we desperately
need: an end to new oil and gas drilling in federal waters,” Food & Water
Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement. “President Biden
has called the climate crisis the existential threat of our time, but the
administration continues to pursue policies that will only make it worse.”

By: Emma Newburger / July 1, 2022 6:19PM