The proposed program for offshore drilling between 2023 and 2028 would ban exploration off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. But by leaving the possibility for new drilling in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska, the announcement falls short of Biden’s campaign promise to end federal fossil fuel leasing for good.
The Interior Department is considering 10 potential auctions in the Gulf of Mexico and one in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
During his bid for the White House, Biden vowed to ban new oil and gas drilling across federal lands and waters. “No more drilling on federal lands, period,” he said at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “Period, period, period.”
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management netted $22 million by offering about 130,000 acres for drilling across seven states this week.