Federal court rules Biden’s offshore drilling ban unlawful

A federal judge in Louisiana has ruled that former President Joe Biden’s prohibition on new offshore drilling across large swaths of U.S. coastal waters was illegal, finding that his attempt to permanently withdraw those areas exceeded the authority the law affords.

Biden’s withdrawal had covered over 625 million acres of federal waters, including regions off the U.S. East and West Coasts, sectors of the Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the northern Bering Sea, intended to block future leasing.

Judge opinion emphasized that the withdrawal exceeded the authority granted by Section 12(a) of OCSLA, especially insofar as it sought to prevent future presidents from modifying or revoking the action. He noted that previous withdrawals by President Obama had similarly attempted permanence, and that such permanence departs from longstanding executive practice.

While most of the withdrawn areas were not previously under active leasing or development, the ruling has significant implications for future energy policy, permitting, and executive authority over offshore resource management.