In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from climate advocates, the Biden administration unveiled a plan to auction up to three offshore oil and gas leases over the next five years. The plan, released by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a branch of the interior department, is set to govern potential sales until late 2028. Notably, it includes no lease auctions for the coming year and marks the lowest number of lease sales since the program’s inception in 1980.
However, the proposal has raised concerns as it could potentially bolster oil production, a fossil fuel linked to climate change, for decades to come. This decision has ignited disappointment among climate advocates, with Wenonah Hauter, executive director of the climate and environmental advocacy group Food and Water Watch, stating, “President Biden says that climate change is an existential threat… Unfortunately, this decision is yet another sign that his administration is not willing to take actions that would match that rhetoric.”
All three proposed lease sales are slated for the Gulf of Mexico, with scheduled dates in 2025, 2027, and 2029, and none planned for Alaska. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland emphasized the administration’s commitment to a clean energy future, with a focus on supporting the growing offshore wind industry and safeguarding against potential environmental harm to coastal communities.
Top scientists have consistently warned against permitting additional oil, coal, or gas production to avert the dire consequences of the climate crisis. However, a provision in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act has hindered the issuance of new offshore wind leases, tying them to oil lease sales on a vast acreage.
Critics argue that this shortsighted political maneuvering, led by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who has ties to the fossil fuel industry, will have grave consequences. The Department of Interior asserts that its plan aligns with the administration’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, relying on the swift adoption of offshore wind energy. Earthjustice, an environmental law organization, contests that even the strictest interpretation of the law would only require one additional oil-and-gas lease sale to accommodate all planned federal offshore wind leasing.
It’s imperative, according to Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice, that the Biden administration scales back its plans for oil and gas leasing. Nevertheless, the five-year plan represents a missed opportunity to curtail future oil and gas drilling.
The United States currently accounts for more than a third of the projected expansion of global oil and gas production by 2050, which is a concerning statistic for climate advocates. Even if the Biden administration had included zero lease sales in its five-year plan, U.S. oil production would still be on track to reach an all-time high, with production estimated to average 13.1 million barrels a day in 2024, according to national data.
Environmental justice advocates in the Gulf, the nation’s primary source of offshore oil and gas, have expressed their discontent with the new proposal. John Beard, founder and executive director of the Port Arthur Community Action Network, stated, “We refuse to be sacrificed… We reject the five-year plan, and demand that President Biden treat us like living people, not pawns in a Petrochemical power-play for profits at the expense of our lives, health, and futures.”
This announcement is likely to upset both the fossil fuel industry and environmental activists alike. While an earlier draft of the plan hinted at auctioning off up to 11 offshore oil and gas leases, the final plan now only includes three in the Gulf of Mexico.
The previous Obama-era plan, which expired in June 2022, contained 11 lease sales, while the Trump administration, in 2018, proposed a staggering 47 lease sales in a new plan.
Apart from contributing to climate-heating emissions, critics argue that the new leasing plan poses a threat to marine ecosystems. Beth Lowell, the United States vice-president of the conservation non-profit Oceana, stated, “Every new drilling lease is a disaster waiting to happen… offshore disasters impact communities, people, and businesses who rely upon a healthy ocean.”
The fate of this plan now rests in the hands of the House and Senate, who will have 60 days to review and potentially make changes. Environmental activists are calling on Congress to reject the proposal during this review period and halt all new leases on federal waters.
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