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President-elect Trump criticized President Biden’s decision to block oil drilling on large swaths of the US coastsaying it will “unban”.
“It’s ridiculous, I’ll unban it immediately.” Trump said Monday during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
However, it is not entirely clear whether he will be able to do so. During his previous term, Trump tried to restore drilling in areas blocked by former President Obama, but was blocked in court.
In 2019, a judge governed that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act gives presidents the right to block drilling in certain areas but not to restore them.
However, in the interview with Hewitt, Trump claimed that he could reverse Biden’s action.
“I have the right to unban it immediately,” he said.
“When I see somebody saying they’re going to ban 625 million acres, they don’t know what that is. They don’t even know what 625 million acres would look like and we can’t let that happen in our country,” Trump added.
Biden’s decision to ban new drilling on more than 625 million acres represents the largest area where a president has blocked drilling.
However, Biden’s move applies to areas that have low, if any, levels of offshore drilling. It did not apply to the central and western Gulf of Mexico, where most US offshore drilling occurs.
