Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Trump has signed an excecutive order repealing the Biden-order.
Trump has signed an excecutive order repealing the Biden-order.
What is happening?
A federal judge in Louisiana has ruled that former U.S. President Joe Biden exceeded his authority when he blocked vast areas of U.S. coastal waters from future offshore oil and gas leasing., Reuters reports.
What was it about?
The memoranda, signed near the end of Biden’s term, aimed to permanently protect the East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska’s Bering Sea.
Legal challenge from Republican states and industry
The decision came in response to a lawsuit from Republican-led states and oil and gas groups who claimed Biden’s action was unlawful.
They argued it threatened domestic energy production and went beyond what the law permits a president to do unilaterally.
Ban was an overreach
U.S. District Judge James Cain ruled in favor of the challengers, finding that Biden’s use of executive power under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) went too far.
The judge emphasized that the law does not allow permanent withdrawals that restrict future presidents’ decisions.
Obama’s and Trump’s precedents surface
Cain’s ruling pointed out that similar withdrawals by former President Obama also appeared to exceed executive limits.
He noted that President Trump had reversed Biden’s withdrawal shortly after taking office—highlighting the legal uncertainty surrounding such executive actions.
Limits of Presidential Power in climate policy
This ruling marks a major blow to efforts to use executive authority for long-term environmental protections.
Without clear backing from Congress, sweeping moves like Biden’s are increasingly vulnerable to legal and political reversals.
Future of offshore drilling unclear
With the ban overturned, previously protected areas may once again be open to leasing, depending on future presidential decisions.
The case could influence how administrations approach offshore drilling, signaling a stricter interpretation of executive powers in energy policy.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
