Biden Tackles U.S. Oil and Gas Drilling

Determined to implement his climate plan, Joe Biden is expected to announce measures against oil and gas drilling on U.S. federal lands on Wednesday, according to several media outlets and a White House memo.

AFP

The Democratic President's administration has drafted a text imposing a moratorium on granting new concessions for oil and gas drilling on government-owned land and water, according to the Washington Post.

While the moratorium will not impact concessions already granted, it will allow Biden to fulfill one of his campaign promises.

The United States should also commit to preserving the integrity of 30% of federal lands and waters by 2030, in order to halt the loss of biodiversity, according to several American media outlets.

Nearly a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States come from energy produced on federal lands, notes a 2018 government report.

And the granting of oil, gas and coal mining concessions generated nearly $11.7 billion in revenue for the U.S. government in 2019, according to Department of the Interior figures.

With this series of measures, Joe Biden is taking a concrete step towards his goal of phasing out fossil fuels and achieving carbon neutrality in the energy sector by 2035 and in the economy as a whole by 2050.

A disputed project

But some environmental associations, such as the NGO Oceana, would like the new White House host to go even further, transforming the moratorium on drilling into a permanent ban.

"By permanently protecting our coastlines from polluting offshore drilling and by favoring renewable sources of energy, such as offshore wind power, we can simultaneously combat climate change and guarantee a green economy for our coastlines," explains Diane Hoskins, Oceana spokesperson on the subject.

The presidential project has also provoked strong criticism in the fossil fuel industry.

Restricting (fossil fuel) development on the state's land and waters is nothing less than a policy of "importing more oil," says Mike Sommers, president of the largest federation of oil and gas industry professionals in the United States.

"Demand for energy will continue to grow, especially as the economy improves, and we can choose to produce that energy here in the United States or depend on foreign countries hostile to U.S. interests," he said.

Climate Summit

Joe Biden should give climate change the status of a "national security priority" and reconstitute a group of science and technology experts to advise him, says a memo from the executive consulted by the AFP.

He will also announce a climate summit of international leaders in the United States on April 22, Earth Day and the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Paris Accord, according to the same source.

It will be an opportunity for the world's leading power to "sit at the table with others" to advance the fight against global warming, before the major UN climate conference (COP26) is held in the United Kingdom in November, says David Waskow of the World Resources Institute.

The expert expects the United States to raise its environmental objectives, with a potential horizon of a 50% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

The Democratic President is also due to present his $2 trillion climate plan to Congress next month, which is supposed to put green measures at the heart of the American economy in a sustainable manner. However, he may face Republican reluctance, although a bipartisan agreement is still possible.

"We must not forget that states like Texas and Wyoming also have a strong wind potential," says Sherri Goodman, who worked on environmental issues under the Obama administration.

"The accelerated melting of glaciers and sea ice, the collapse of permafrost (deep frozen ground) and rising temperatures underline the importance of climate recognition as an essential element of our foreign policy," she adds.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)