A group of Democratic lawmakers want President Joe Biden to impose new restrictions on offshore drilling before the new administration takes office.
A letter led by House Natural Resources ranking member Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) calls on Biden to put areas off limits in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and eastern Gulf of Mexico.
“As you cement your legacy to be the nation’s greatest climate president, we urge you to use your authority designated under 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to permanently withdraw unleased and at-risk areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from fossil fuel development,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Biden administration used the law in 2023 to limit Arctic development. Then-President Donald Trump also protected some areas during his first term.
