President-elect Donald Trump vowed to reverse President Joe Biden’s Monday executive order banning oil and gas drilling in certain American coastal waters once he returns to office.
The incoming commander-in-chief said in a Monday interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt that the move to ban drilling in 625 million acres of coastal waters is “ridiculous.”
“It’s ridiculous. I will unban it. I have the right to unban it immediately,” Trump said.
“What’s he doing? Why is he doing it?”
“He doesn’t know what [625 million acres] is. He doesn’t even know what 625 million acres would look like,” he claimed.
The executive order from Biden said that he would restrict oil and natural gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the Northern Bering Sea near Alaska, and both the East and West coasts.
He claimed that opening new drilling opportunities, where most American offshore drilling now occurs, is ultimately “not worth the risks.”
“As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren,” Biden said in a statement from the White House.
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Biden also contended that his decision “reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.”
Trump meanwhile voiced a desire to use American energy reserves to grow the economy and compete with other nations during his next term, which starts later this month.
“You know, we have something that nobody else has,” Trump told Hewitt in reference to the oil and gas reserves.
“I mean, nobody has to the extent we have it, and it’ll be more by the time we’re finished because I’ll be able to expand.”
“We can’t let [the ban] happen to our country,” he said. “It’s really our greatest economic asset.”
“And we’re not going to let that happen to our country,” Trump remarked.
The move to restrict drilling indeed comes after four years of elevated energy prices.
Biden has received criticism over various executive orders and legislative actions that restricted oil and gas production while prioritizing renewable energy.
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