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🗞️ Driving the news: President Joe Biden has permanently banned offshore oil and gas leasing across 625 million acres of ocean, including the Atlantic, Pacific, eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska’s Bering Sea
• The move, invoking the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, limits future administrations’ ability to reverse it
• Industry leaders criticized the decision, citing long-term impacts on oil exploration

🔭 The context: This decision builds on bipartisan efforts, including protections introduced by Trump in 2020 for parts of the Atlantic coast
• It aims to prevent ecological disasters like the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill
• The ban is largely symbolic for current production, as existing Gulf rigs continue operation

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: By preventing new drilling, the action mitigates potential oil spills and reduces future emissions from fossil fuel development, supporting global climate goals
• Coastal communities gain protection from environmental risks and benefit from preserved marine ecosystems

⏭️ What's next: Environmental groups may push for additional permanent protections in other sensitive areas
• Future energy policies under the incoming Trump administration could challenge the ban, but Congressional action would be required to fully overturn it

💬 One quote: “Every president this century has recognized that some areas of the ocean are just too risky or too sensitive to drill.” – Drew Caputo, Earthjustice

📈 One stat: Biden’s executive action affects 625 million acres of ocean, spanning the entire U.S. East Coast, Pacific Coast, and parts of Alaska

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