
The offshore drilling ban enacted by President Biden is under threat from Congress and the Trump administration. Contact your representatives today!
Well, that didn’t take long. Less than two weeks after outgoing President Biden took decisive action to protect our nation’s coasts from new offshore drilling, Congress and the Trump administration have unveiled plans to revoke these protections. Their sweeping proposals seek to undo bans on offshore oil and gas leasing off the East Coast, West Coast, Eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska that were hard-fought and are overwhelmingly supported by communities, businesses, Tribes, and the public.
Last week, federal legislation was introduced by Senate and House members to nullify the Biden drilling ban and encourage new oil and gas drilling. Another bill introduced by House members would overturn Biden’s offshore drilling ban while placing limits on future Presidential withdrawals. Fortunately, these bills will face opposition from elected leaders who understand that offshore drilling harms our environment, communities, economy, and planet. This will be a closely contested battle in the 119th Congress, so please take action and make your voice heard!
Map showing areas in yellow protected from new oil and gas leasing by the Biden administration.
On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order that also seeks to rescind Biden’s offshore drilling ban. The Trump administration has also pledged to expand offshore drilling in unprotected areas, including the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, which is already subjected to 97% of all offshore drilling that occurs in the United States. In the coming months, the administration is expected to begin revising the current 5-year offshore drilling plan that was finalized by the Department of Interior in 2023.
In addition to these Congressional and Trump administrative actions, several states have joined the oil and gas industry trade associations to attack the Biden offshore drilling ban in court. On January 17, the state of Louisiana, along with Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Alaska, the American Petroleum Institute, and Gulf Energy Alliance, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana that seeks to block Biden’s offshore drilling ban from taking effect. Days later, on January 20, the state of Texas also filed a lawsuit attacking the Biden ban. Surfrider and our partners are closely monitoring these legal developments.
The recent offshore drilling prohibition followed decades of advocacy by Surfrider chapters and our partners.
These actions are counter to the desires of the vast majority of Americans who want to protect U.S. coasts from oil and gas development. A 2024 poll showed that two-thirds of American voters (64%) support their elected officials protecting U.S. coastlines from new offshore drilling, with similar support among registered voters in coastal states (66%). Nearly every Governor along the East and West Coasts – Democrat and Republican alike – has expressed concerns about expanded oil and gas drilling off their coastlines. Finally, nearly 400 municipalities and over 2,300 elected officials across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf have formally opposed new offshore drilling off their coasts.
There has never been a more urgent time to speak out against offshore drilling. The recent drilling ban by the Biden administration was the culmination of decades of grassroots advocacy, and we can’t afford to let it be revoked. Stopping new drilling is essential to protecting our marine ecosystems, communities, climate, and economy. Leaders in Congress must step up and support these critical protections.
Please take action and tell your representatives it’s time to end new offshore drilling!