Author: Jarrett Renshaw
(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday reversing former President Joe Biden’s efforts to block oil drilling in the Arctic and along large areas near the U.S. coast, according to the White House.
Biden this month banned new offshore oil and gas development along most U.S. coasts before Trump takes office.
Biden’s move was seen as largely symbolic, as it would not affect areas where oil and gas development is currently underway, and mostly covered zones where drillers had no significant prospects, including the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Trump also rescinded a 2023 memorandum that banned oil drilling on about 16 million hectares (6.5 million acres) in the Arctic, the White House said.
The oil drilling ban was one of dozens of actions taken by Biden that Trump rescinded on his first day in office.
