President Trump has rescinded a long list of executive orders — among them former President Joe Biden's recently-announced offshore oil and gas drilling moratorium, which protects vast swathes of ocean in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Bering Sea.
Expect a legal challenge. During his first administration, Trump attempted to use an executive order to reverse similar (albeit smaller) offshore drilling protections set by former President Barack Obama. Courts ultimately determined that a 1953 law allows presidents to permanently protect oceans and does not include a mechanism for subsequent presidents to undo their decisions. Trump's effort failed. That means this time around, it's likely Trump will require assistance from Congress — or a different ruling from the courts — in order to open up these oceans for drilling.
Trade groups representing the oil industry say they believe Trump could reverse the decision on Day 1, despite the precedent set before, and they'll argue as much in court.
Whether the moratorium stands or falls will have no near-term impact on oil production, as companies are not currently interested in developing the waters in question. But it doesn't mean it's a purely symbolic move; the offshore oil and gas industry operates on very long timelines, and industry advocates say they want to keep their options open for where to expand when the Gulf of Mexico gets tapped out.
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