Trump angry: Biden issues important ban shortly before change of power!
USA - Environmentalists are delighted, Donald Trump (78) and his team are outraged: in the final weeks of his term in office, US President Joe Biden (82) initiated a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along a large part of the American coast.
The ban would affect the entire Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf and the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington, as well as a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska, according tothe BBC.
"Drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs. They are not worth the risks," Biden said of his decision.
However, Trump has already promised to lift the ban as soon as he takes office in a few weeks - although this could be difficult under US law.
The 78-year-old described the ban as "ridiculous" and announced during the election campaign that he would promote the production of fossil fuels. Although this production is already at a record high, the US president-electpromised a reduction in gas costs for the population as a result.
Donald Trump has already failed in court once
Trump's press spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt (27) also commented on the ban and described it as a "shameful decision". She accused Biden of seeking "political revenge" on the American people.
Environmentalists take a very different view, welcoming the decision. Joseph Gordon from the environmental organization Oceana called the ban an epic victory for the oceans. "Our treasured coastal communities are now safe for future generations," he said happily.
During his first term in 2017, Donald Trump already wanted to repeal a protection of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans enacted by Barack Obama (63).
At the time, a district court ruled that the law does not allow a president to reverse the decisions of previous administrations - but he will probably try anyway.