Special Poll
Trump Criticizes Biden’s Oil Drilling Ban, Vows to Reverse It
Former President Donald Trump has strongly criticized President Joe Biden’s decision to ban oil drilling across vast areas of the U.S. coastline, vowing to overturn the policy if re-elected. Speaking during a Monday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump declared, “It’s ridiculous. I’ll unban it immediately.”
Despite his confidence, the legal ability to reverse such a ban remains uncertain. During his previous term, Trump faced similar challenges when he attempted to lift drilling restrictions imposed by President Obama. His efforts were thwarted by a 2019 court ruling, which stated that while presidents have the authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to block drilling in specific areas, they lack the power to unilaterally undo those bans.
Nevertheless, Trump maintained his stance during the interview, claiming he would have the authority to reverse Biden’s actions. “I have the right to unban it immediately,” Trump insisted. He also criticized the scale of Biden’s decision, adding, “When I see somebody saying he’s going to ban 625 million acres, he doesn’t even know what that is. He doesn’t even know what 625 million acres would look like, and we can’t let that happen to our country.”
President Biden’s recent policy, which prohibits new oil drilling across more than 625 million acres, marks the largest area ever protected from such activity by a U.S. president. However, the restrictions mainly apply to regions with little or no offshore drilling activity. The ban excludes key areas in the central and western Gulf of Mexico, where the majority of U.S. offshore drilling operations occur.
Trump’s remarks highlight ongoing debates over balancing environmental protection with energy independence, a topic likely to remain a focal point in the upcoming election.