Today, President Biden took action to protect the entire U.S. East coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, and additional portions of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska from future oil and natural gas leasing. In protecting more than 625 million acres of the U.S. ocean from offshore drilling, President Biden has determined that the environmental and economic risks and harms that would result from drilling in these areas outweigh their limited fossil fuel resource potential. With these withdrawals, President has now conserved over 670 million acres of America’s lands and waters, more than any other president in history.
Leaders across the country applauded today’s announcement:
Elected Officials
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
“President Biden has done well by Rhode Islanders in protecting our coast from the economic and environmental dangers of offshore drilling. I’m hopeful that this action will put up a roadblock that will prevent the Trump administration from selling out the Atlantic to the top-bidding polluter. I’ve been on the front lines of helping the Ocean State recover after oil spills, and I’m keenly aware of just how damaging offshore accidents can be.” [Statement, 1/06/2024]
Senator Ed Markey (D-MA)
“I applaud @POTUS‘s decision to ban offshore drilling on the East Coast to ensure that our ocean is kept safe from oil spills and environmental devastation. On behalf of our fishermen, our seaside communities, and our ecosystem—thank you.” [Tweet, 1/6/24]
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)
“I applaud President Biden’s move to protect America’s coastline & oceans from offshore oil and natural gas drilling, defending our environment & growing our blue economy by boosting ocean health & bolstering coastal resiliency.” [Tweet, 1/6/2025]
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA-02)
“Today’s action cements President Biden’s historic climate legacy by permanently protecting much of our oceans, coastal communities, and local economies from Big Oil’s long record of exploitation. Since day one of his administration, President Biden has understood that facing the climate crisis and protecting Americans demands visionary leadership and bold action. I’m grateful for the historic progress this administration has made both today and over the past four years. Importantly, today’s action is Trump-proof; the courts have already defended the 12(a) authority against previous attacks. We know the President-elect will do everything in his power to enact his ‘drill baby drill’ agenda, but fortunately for us all, handing our oceans over to Big Oil billionaires will be off the table.” [Statement, 1/6/24]
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06)
“For decades, I’ve fought to protect our shores from those who would sell off our way of life to make a buck from dangerous offshore drilling, and today, that fight has paid off. President Biden’s action ensures that our coasts are permanently off-limits to ‘drill baby, drill’ exploitation. This is a commonsense win for everyone who relies on clean, thriving oceans. Protecting our coastal waters from oil drilling safeguards our fishing and tourism economy and critically-endangered North Atlantic right whales. By taking this bold move, President Biden is showing the world that the United States can lead in combating the climate and wildlife extinction crises. This decision prioritizes clean, safe energy over the outdated and dangerous practices of fossil fuel extraction. It reflects the hard work and values of coastal communities like ours that have never stopped fighting for a better, cleaner future.” [Statement, 1/6/24]
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14)
“Clean water and clean beaches are central to Florida’s healthy environment, economy and way of life. Floridians voted in 2018 to prohibit oil drilling in state waters (only nine miles offshore), but oil and gas companies still had their eyes on federal waters in the eastern Gulf. I ran for Congress to champion permanent coastal protections and to keep oil drilling away from Florida, so I am thrilled that President Joe Biden answered our call to ban drilling off the Florida Gulf Coast and thereby safeguard our communities, fishing and tourism economies. Floridians understand the damage that oil drilling and extreme events can do to our pocketbooks and way of life. The Gulf of Mexico BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 was a wake-up call as Florida business owners suffered widespread economic losses and pollution harmed marine life. Offshore drilling is dirty and dangerous and inconsistent with the clean, tourist-friendly beaches we value in the Sunshine State. It puts our national security at risk by disrupting critical military training conducted by MacDill AFB and other military installations off Florida’s coasts. I urge my colleagues in Congress to build on this momentum and pass the bipartisan Florida Coastal Protection Act to enshrine these safeguards into law, protecting them against future administrative reversals.” [Statement, 1/6/24]
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-07)
“Glad to see @POTUS take bold action to protect our oceans and communities on the coast from offshore drilling. I’m proud to have joined my colleagues last year in calling for this step. This is a huge win for our environment, economy, and future generations.” [Tweet, 1/6/2024]
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01)
“UPDATE: Following our letter, @POTUS is taking action to protect more than 625 million acres of American waters from future offshore oil and natural-gas drilling, including the entire East Coast! // The risks of offshore drilling—to local communities and economies, to marine ecosystems, and to human health—far outweigh the potential benefits. No president has protected more American lands+waters than President Biden. It’s a legacy that he—and all of us—should be proud of 👏” [Tweet, 1/6/2025]
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30)
“Thank you President Biden for acting to PERMANENTLY protect coastlines from Maine to Florida & Washington to California from offshore drilling. With natural disasters increasing, we need to invest in clean, sustainable energy – cutting our energy bills and protecting the planet!” [Tweet, 1/6/2025]
Environmental Leaders and Organizations:
Tiernan Sittenfeld, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, League of Conservation Voters
“We applaud the Biden administration for protecting the coasts off the Pacific, Atlantic, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the Northern Bering Sea off Alaska from new offshore oil and gas leasing. Preventing the expansion of future oil development off our coasts will help meet our climate goals and safeguard communities. With today’s announcement, President Biden has protected more of our lands and waters than any other U.S. president in history, more than 679 million acres of lands, waters, and oceans across the country. We are forever grateful to President Biden for his steadfast commitment and unparalleled leadership in protecting our communities, our health, our climate, and our treasured places.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Ben Jealous, Executive Director, Sierra Club
“This critical action is a major win for coastal communities, marine wildlife, and our collective future. In using the power of the presidency, the same authority used by his three immediate predecessors, President Biden is acting to safeguard the public health of coastal communities from the dangers of offshore drilling along with the marine wildlife that live in these waters. There will never be a safe way to desecrate our waters. As long as it is allowed to continue, offshore drilling and the pollution it causes will continue to present a threat to coastal communities, economies, and environments. We must continue to work to achieve a clean energy transition that ends our reliance on fossil fuels, grows the strong economy it has already built with family-sustaining jobs and preserves our clean water and clean air. The Sierra Club applauds President Biden for his leadership and further cementing his historic legacy of prioritizing our health, our collective future, and public lands and waters.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Drew Caputo, Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife, and Oceans, Earthjustice
“President Biden just made a powerful investment in the resiliency of communities, regional economies, and marine wildlife across the coastal United States,” said Earthjustice Vice President of Litigation for Lands, Wildlife, and Oceans Drew Caputo. “These protective policies will ensure safer conditions and more room for prosperity for millions of people living along American coasts, for thousands of businesses that rely on undisturbed oceans, and for vulnerable wildlife. Our work ahead is clear: we’ll continue the fight to ensure that Gulf communities in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama can also increasingly live without the threat from offshore drilling on their front doorstep.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Margie Alt, Director, Climate Action Campaign
“For much too long, our coastal communities have suffered economic and ecological damage from oil spills, and endured devastating hurricanes, sea level rise, and coastal erosion due to climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution. The Biden administration’s sweeping decision to protect our nation’s waters from future drilling is an unambiguous win for coastal communities, their economies and ecosystems. The decision bolsters our national security and will ultimately reduce the climate pollution that is ravaging the coasts, the nation, and the world. President Biden has been a steadfast champion for climate progress from Day One of his administration. His legacy of conservation and advocacy to protect our climate will leave an indelible mark on the health of our communities and our environment.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Lori Lodes, Executive Director, Climate Power
“The Biden administration’s decision to protect our oceans will preserve the health and safety of coastal communities. While Americans strongly support protections for our air and water and keeping our public lands pristine, Donald Trump has a record of putting the profits of oil and gas executives ahead of our public health. President Biden has delivered on his promises to protect our public land and water for future generations; Donald Trump should do the same.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Manish Bapna, President and CEO, NRDC
“These ocean waters are vital for tourism, recreation, and fisheries–all of which would be threatened by oil drilling. By not allowing these public waters to be sold off to the highest corporate bidder, President Biden has put people and nature over polluters. Offshore drilling causes immense harm to coastal communities, pollute the ocean, and harm wildlife. History has unfortunately taught us that oil and gas drilling in the ocean inherently risks catastrophe. President Biden’s leasing withdrawal helps limit this risk and prevents oil and gas companies from lining their pockets at the public’s expense.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Martha Collins, Healthy Gulf Executive Director
“We are grateful President Biden has taken action to protect the eastern Gulf of Mexico, preserving this vital region from the harms of drilling. This decision reflects the strong opposition of Floridians and others to industrializing and polluting our waters. Still, much remains to be done to shield the entire Gulf from offshore drilling and bring about a just transition to clean energy.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Jenny Rowland-Shea, Director for Public Lands, Center for American Progress
“The Biden administration is answering the call to protect the ocean and the people living along its coast from the dangers of offshore drilling. We applaud this decision to safeguard the coastal communities and economies of the East Coast, eastern Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, and Alaska—putting people ahead of the whims of special interests. Shoreline communities deserve to live free from the specter of oil spills and air pollution, and this action accomplishes that mission for millions of Americans. From subsistence communities to a healthy fishing economy and a booming tourism industry, this decision supports more prosperous coastlines and a greener future for all Americans.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director, Azul
“We applaud President Biden for using his authority under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to permanently protect more than 625 million acres of federal waters from fossil fuel development,” said Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director of Azul. “Offshore drilling poses significant risks to coastal communities, public health, and ecosystems while expanding fossil fuel extraction undermines climate goals. The 2024 National Azul poll found that across political ideologies, Latino voters support action to ban offshore drilling and are even willing to pay more out of pocket to make it happen. This overwhelming public support provides an opportunity for incoming administrations to continue strengthening these provisions. The urgent need to mitigate climate change transcends political leadership. We thank President Biden for taking this significant and bold step to protect our ocean and solidify his climate legacy.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Sandra Bundy, President of the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast
“The Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast has always had our sights set on permanent protection of the eastern seaboard, where coastal businesses and tourism-based economies remained at risk. We are thrilled and thankful to learn this goal is going to be realized. Opening all federal waters to offshore exploration and drilling posed serious threats to coastal economies and ecosystems that are critical to millions along the coast. Cities and towns large and small oppose the industrialization of the Atlantic and are increasingly seeing stronger storms and flooding and face serious threats from rising sea levels. Those threats would increase in magnitude if offshore drilling was added to the mix. President Biden is leaving us all with a legacy of protecting the Atlantic coast for generations to come. This would not have been possible without years of dedicated efforts from business, fishing communities and countless others who used their voices to garner bipartisan support from Governors and Legislators in coastal states and beyond.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Grant Bixby, Founding Member, Business Alliance for Protecting the Pacific Coast
“The Pacific west coast economy provides over $80 Billion in GDP via industries like tourism, outdoor recreation, fishing, retail, and real estate, supporting more than 825,000 jobs. And BAPPC’s 8,100 business members rely on a clean ocean to drive their revenues and provide for their customers, employees and families. We applaud the Biden administration for using their authority via the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and protecting our businesses by prioritizing a healthy coastal ecosystem.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Dr. Chad Nelsen, CEO, Surfrider Foundation
“Surfrider Foundation applauds the Biden administration for withdrawing these waters from future oil and gas leasing. Offshore drilling is a dirty and damaging practice that harms our environment, communities, and businesses, while worsening climate change. The President’s historic action is a key step towards ending oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters. We call on our federal leaders to take further steps to ensure that all U.S. coasts are protected from this harmful industry.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Vipe Desai, Executive Director, Surf Industry Members Association
“The Surf Industry Members Association applauds the federal administration for permanently protecting the Atlantic, Pacific, Eastern Gulf, and Bering Sea from new offshore oil drilling. Our businesses and entire industry rely on and profit from clean beaches and safe ocean waters for surfing, diving, fishing, boating and other outdoor activities.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Julie Packard, Executive Director, Monterey Bay Aquarium
“This is one of the most important steps that can be taken to protect our ocean and our coastal communities,” said Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. “We have learned devastating lessons from the impacts of offshore oil development off of California, in the Gulf, and elsewhere. We know that the foundation of thriving coastal communities and their economies is a healthy, vibrant ocean. Thanks to this decisive action, these communities no longer need to bear the threat of offshore drilling. We’re grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris,” Packard continued. “Their action will unlock a better future for coastal communities and economies, tourism, sustainable fisheries, and wildlife. This will benefit Americans, and our ocean, for decades to come.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Joseph Gordon, Campaign Director, Oceana
“President Biden made the most of a historic opportunity to build on the legacy of former Democratic and Republican presidents who protected our coasts from new offshore drilling,” said Oceana Campaign Director Joseph Gordon. “Protecting new areas from disastrous oil spills is not only good for our oceans, but also those that rely on clean and healthy coasts. Our coastlines are home to millions of Americans and support billions of dollars of economic activity that depend on a healthy coast, abundant wildlife, and thriving fisheries. New coastal protections build on a bipartisan tradition, including President Trump’s previous withdrawals in the southeastern United States in 2020. Presidents of both parties understand that part of what makes America great are our treasured coastal communities, and we must safeguard our coasts for future generations.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Sarah Weaver, Senior Attorney, Defenders of Wildlife
“The Biden administration has made a timely decision to protect public waters, in line with the demands of Americans — especially those living along our coasts,” said Sierra Weaver, Senior Attorney for Defenders of Wildlife. “This decision protects endangered species, seafood resources, and so much more aquatic life, rather than offering up our natural heritage to corporate interests. It’s not only a smart choice, but the clear choice.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Kim McIntyre, Executive Director, Aquarium Conservation Partnership
“Aquariums across the country applaud President Biden’s historic action to protect nearly a quarter of U.S. waters from offshore oil and gas drilling,” said Kim McIntyre, Executive Director of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership. “Our coastal communities, economic future, and national heritage depend on clean, vibrant, and healthy coastlines and ocean ecosystems. ACP members are proud to showcase the living treasures of our nation’s ocean and coast in our aquariums, and to inspire stewardship of these irreplaceable national assets.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Ayana Melvan, Senior Director of Conservation Action, Aquarium Conservation Partnership
“Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) members work with communities they are located in on critical matters that impact our lands, waterways, freshwater ecosystems, and ocean,” said Ayana Melvan, Senior Director of Conservation Action for Aquarium Conservation Partnership. “The work takes all of us,” Melvan continued. “President Biden’s action to protect our waters from offshore oil and gas drilling supports our collective movement toward Environmental and Ocean Justice.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Sarah Guy, Executive Director, Ocean Defense Initiative
“President Biden has continued a strong bipartisan tradition to protect our coasts with decisive action to stop new offshore drilling in areas of our ocean,” said Sarah Guy, Executive Director of Ocean Defense Initiative. “These protections help the coastal communities, economies, and marine life that depend on a healthy ocean to thrive. We thank the Administration for this action and commit to working toward a future where every coast nationwide is free from the risks and negative impacts of offshore drilling, reaping the benefits of a healthy ocean for generations to come.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Richard Charter, Senior Fellow, The Ocean Foundation
“Done in response to bipartisan support, actions like this have been successfully used by presidents of both parties to protect the use of essential U.S. military facilities or to preserve sustainable local coastal economies,” said Richard Charter, Senior Fellow with The Ocean Foundation. “We applaud today’s visionary step to prevent the next Deepwater Horizon.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Karyn Bigelow, Director of Programs & Advocacy, the Next 100 Coalition
“The Next 100 Coalition applauds this historic decision from President Biden to prevent oil and gas drilling across over 600 million acres of federal waters. This effort will help to prevent harmful drilling and the further degradation of ecosystems that are crucial to preserve marine life, cultural practices, the livelihoods, and food security. This is one of many decisions that will add to President Biden’s legacy to protecting the environment.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Sarah Winter Whelan, Executive Director, Healthy Ocean Coalition
“Today’s withdrawals show that President Biden and his administration are listening to the wishes of communities around the country who want to protect their citizens, coasts, and economies from the destructive legacy of offshore oil and gas drilling and spilling”, said Sarah Winter Whelan, Executive Director of the Healthy Ocean Coalition. “As a coalition of over 300 diverse community groups and citizens, we applaud today’s action by President Biden to solidify long term protections for both communities and vital marine ecosystems.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director, Center for Western Priorities
“With today’s action President Biden continues to build a great conservation legacy. This will protect hundreds of coastal communities from the dangers of oil and gas drilling. The United States is already producing more oil and gas than ever before. Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry is sitting on over 10 million acres of unused drilling leases on public lands and over 6,000 unused drilling permits. Now is the time to expand clean energy, not double down on fossil fuel extraction.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Vivian Korthuis, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Village Council Presidents
“Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) would like to express our sincere gratitude to President Biden’s commitment to protecting our food security and marine environment by limiting oil and gas leasing in vulnerable areas. AVCP has opposed offshore oil and gas drilling in the Northern Bering Sea since the early 1980s. President Biden’s decision reflects a strong dedication to safeguarding natural resources that are vital to both our economy and ecosystems. His leadership in prioritizing sustainable practices ensures a healthier resilient future for us all. We thank President Biden for his efforts in fostering a balanced approach to energy development and environmental conservation.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Mary David, Executive Vice President, Kawerak, Inc.
“We thank President Biden for issuing these withdraws and honoring over 40 years of Tribal advocacy to protect our food security and marine environment from oil and gas leasing. Kawerak region Tribes have opposed offshore oil and gas drilling in the Northern Bering Sea since the early 1980s. Tribes are the original stewards of the Northern Bering Sea. We depend on a healthy ocean, and we appreciate President Biden for partnering in this stewardship to protect our waters.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Jaylene Wheeler, Executive Director, Bering Sea Elders Group
“The Bering Sea Elders Group extends our sincere gratitude to President Biden and his commitment to protecting the Northern Bering Sea. Our traditional waters of the Bering Sea are interconnected, and protecting these waters helps ensure our food sovereignty, our cultural, economic, physical and traditional existence, and our very survival. BSEG has long opposed offshore oil and gas drilling in the region. We have stewarded these waters for generations and intend to do so for generations to come. We thank President Biden for his leadership and partnership in protecting these waters and our collective future.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Carlos Zegarra, Executive Director, Sachamama
“We applaud the Biden administration’s bold decision to safeguard over 625 million acres of public waters from offshore oil and gas drilling. This action preserves our precious marine ecosystems and ensures that future generations of Latinos and all Americans can continue to rely on these waters for their livelihoods, culture, and way of life.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Marc Yaggi, CEO, Waterkeeper Alliance
“We welcome this commonsense action taken to protect our oceans, along with the communities and economies that depend on them. Offshore drilling harms critical marine ecosystems and devastates local fishermen and families, whose livelihoods and public health are directly impacted by destructive industry pollution and environmental degradation. With climate change-driven disasters only becoming more frequent, this action could not have come at a more crucial time as we continue the push to transition away from fossil fuels in favor of cleaner, renewable energy sources that protect our economies, the environment, and the most at-risk communities.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Lena Moffitt, Executive Director. Evergreen Action
“Today, President Biden took a critical step to safeguard our climate future by protecting our waters from offshore drilling—a resounding win for frontline communities and our climate. By ending these unpopular giveaways to Big Oil, President Biden is aligning federal policy with the urgent need to reject dangerous fossil fuel projects and protect our oceans and coastal communities from destructive drilling. Americans on both sides of the aisle support protecting our oceans from Big Oil giveaways. President Biden’s bold action today underscores that we cannot afford the continued expansion of oil and gas production if we are to meet our climate targets and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. It also ensures that vital public waters can no longer be exploited for corporate polluters’ profits, leaving frontline communities to shoulder the costs of cleanup and endure toxic pollution. As we enter an uncertain political era, this move solidifies progress toward a cleaner, safer climate future for all Americans.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Amy Kenney, Executive Director, National Ocean Protection Coalition
“President Biden’s heroic action protects American coastlines, local economies, and marine life from preventable damage,” said Amy Kenney, Executive Director of the National Ocean Protection Coalition. “This withdrawal continues a bipartisan practice to use executive authority to safeguard coastal communities. All life on Earth depends on a healthy ocean, and setting reasonable boundaries on destructive extraction practices will ensure generations to come can continue to enjoy nature and rely on the ocean to sustain them.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Anna-Marie Laura, Senior Director of Climate Policy, Ocean Conservancy
“Today we are one step closer to securing a clean ocean energy future and we thank President Biden for taking this critical action to protect areas of our ocean from oil and gas drilling and exploration,” said Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of Climate Policy Anna-Marie Laura. “Oil and gas development has wreaked havoc on our ocean through daily leaks, massive spills and extreme air and water pollution. We must, and can, end offshore oil and gas production and move toward responsible, renewable energy sources – like offshore wind – to protect our ocean, while remaining aligned with our goals for American energy security and independence. Protecting these areas under Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act enjoys support across the aisle as well as up and down our country’s coastlines. The President has responded to calls from coastal towns, communities, tribal leaders, and countless others who depend on a clean, healthy ocean, and we are grateful for his leadership.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Cassandra Carmichael, Executive Director, National Religious Partnership for the Environment
“As people of faith we are called to care for human health and the wellbeing of all of God’s creation,” said Cassandra Carmichael, Executive Director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment. “Coastal communities depend on oil-free beaches. The decision to curtail new offshore drilling in God’s ocean, which includes the Atlantic, Pacific, North Bering Sea and parts of the Gulf of Mexico, will protect coastal communities and marine life, leading to a more healthy and vibrant marine and coastal ecosystems.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder & CEO, Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
“Americans know that the things we value most – our families, communities, homes, and sacred places – are at risk because of the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. This decision to prevent more and egregiously unnecessary offshore drilling is a crucial step toward realizing a clean energy future,” says Rabbi Jennie Rosenn, Founder & CEO of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action. “We must work to build a sukkat shalom, a shelter of peace and safety, a world that is no longer threatened by climate catastrophe and that is livable and sustainable for all people, for generations to come. Our future lies in readily available, abundant, and affordable clean energy that delivers clean air to breathe and water to drink.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Katie Thompson, Executive Director, Save Our Shores
“We applaud Biden’s announcement to protect federal waters from offshore drilling,” said Katie Thompson, Executive Director of Save Our Shores. “We thank the administration for listening to generations of Indigenous peoples, coastal communities, and local governments who have been fighting for this protection. The message is clear—our vital coastal habitats and thriving ocean economy will not be jeopardized by the great risks of offshore oil development. We look forward to working with others to uphold Biden’s legacy.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Alexandra Carter, Policy Director, Urban Ocean Lab
“Urban Ocean Lab celebrates the announcement by President Biden, barring new offshore oil and gas development along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Northern Bering Sea. Climate driven sea level rise, storms, and temperature increases are wreaking havoc on coastal cities and ecosystems. It is urgent that the United States move quickly away from its reliance on fossil fuels and toward a clean energy economy to stem the tide of climate impacts. The President’s announcement is a strong signal of our intentions as a nation to phase out drilling and invest in justly-sourced renewable energy sources that will support and protect coastal communities and ecosystems.”[Statement, 1/6/2025]
Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director, Center for Western Priorities
“With today’s action President Biden continues to build a great conservation legacy. This will protect hundreds of coastal communities from the dangers of oil and gas drilling. The United States is already producing more oil and gas than ever before. Meanwhile, the oil and gas industry is sitting on over 10 million acres of unused drilling leases on public lands and over 6,000 unused drilling permits. Now is the time to expand clean energy, not double down on fossil fuel extraction.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Northern Chumash Tribal Council
“The Northern Chumash Tribal Council extends its heartfelt gratitude to President Biden for his historic decision to protect 625 million acres of ocean waters from future oil and gas leasing.This visionary action honors the legacy of the Chumash People, who bore witness to the devastating 1969 Union oil spill in Santa Barbara—a pivotal event that ignited modern environmental movements, including the establishment of Earth Day. That tragic spill became a turning point, inspiring Americans to challenge the notion that pollution was an inevitable cost of industrial progress. Today, President Biden’s leadership continues this legacy of transformation, ensuring that our ancestral waters, coastal communities, and marine wildlife are safeguarded. We commend the Biden Administration for its unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, combating climate change, and preserving the nation’s natural treasures for future generations. This decision represents a profound step toward a thriving and resilient future for our oceans and the planet.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Grey Gowder, Carolina Ocean Alliance
“The Carolina Ocean Alliance congratulates the Biden Administration on its sweeping protection of United States federal waters from new oil and gas drilling. By withdrawing over 600 million acres of federal waters from new petrochemical extraction, President Biden ensured that nearly 40% of Americans living in coastal and ocean communities have the agency we need to restore our coastal ecosystems, earn a sustainable living from healthy coastal fisheries, and protect deep-sea wonders like the Blake Plateau coral mounds.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Tonya Bonitatibus, Savannah Riverkeeper
“Savannah Riverkeeper celebrates this landmark decision, a victory for the economic viability and livability of coastal communities and marine ecosystems of our eastern seaboard. Our communities have spoken clearly and they are not interested in becoming the Gulf Coast. We have built an economy around retaining the natural components of our oceanfront, not by destroying them. Offshore oil and gas are not wanted here, and we applaud the administration for helping keep them out.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Capt. Codty Pierce, Calusa Waterkeeper
“Calusa Waterkeeper commends the Biden administration actions in protecting our coastal communities and ecosystems with this historic action. Offshore drilling is simply not worth the risk of impact to our Gulf Coast, whether climate change, risk of spill and or impact to our ground water drinking supply.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Bill Mott, Executive Director, The Ocean Project
“Thank you to the Biden administration for taking this hugely important step to protect America’s coasts and ocean from oil and gas drilling and creating a better future for youth and generations to come,” said Bill Mott, Executive Director of The Ocean Project. “This action continues a strong bipartisan tradition of protecting coastal communities and economies, and safeguarding spectacular ocean wildlife – such as dolphins, sea turtles, fish, and shorebirds,” Mott continued. “Most Americans oppose new offshore drilling, and that’s especially true for younger generations and for those in coastal communities who depend on healthy ocean ecosystems to support jobs in recreation, fishing, and tourism. This action keeps hundreds of coastal communities safer from oil spills.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
Robert W. Davidson, President & CEO, Seattle Aquarium
“We celebrate the protection of nearly 250 million acres of federal waters off the west coast—waters that are essential for animals from endangered orcas to fish and seabirds,” said Robert W. Davidson, President & CEO of the Seattle Aquarium. “We thank President Biden for taking this essential action to prevent new offshore oil and gas drilling, and protect our one world ocean and the millions of people and all the marine life that depend on it.” [Statement, 1/6/2025]
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