Trump Lifts Ban on Offshore Drilling in Federal Waters
President Donald Trump issued a series of energy-related memorandums and executives orders that include lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling in federal waters. While the orders will likely face legal challenges, they signal a critical shift in U.S. energy policy that could impact drilling off the California coast.
Trump’s executive order on “Unleashing American Energy” establishes U.S. policy to “encourage energy production and exploration on federal lands and waters, including on the Outer Continental Shelf.” Additionally, his executive order, Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions, repealed three executive actions by President Joe Biden that withdrew areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from oil and natural gas leasing.
Biden’s Withdrawal Orders
In January 2025, Biden issued an executive order banning new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of the U.S. coastline, including significant areas of the California coast. Biden used his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953 to withdraw the OCS areas from oil or natural gas leasing. The withdrawal did not affect existing leases in the withdrawn areas.
The withdrawal order included approximately 625 million acres of ocean along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and the Bering Sea in Alaska. The California areas include the Northern California, Central California, and Southern California OCS planning areas. In March 2024, Biden withdrew 2.8 million acres in the Arctic Ocean.
Likely Opposition
Trump faces likely opposition stemming from the first time he reversed land withdrawals. During his first term, Trump reversed President Barack Obama’s decision to remove certain areas from drilling. Upon challenge, a 2019 federal district court held that the president does not have authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to overturn prior bans, as it is not explicitly stated in the law. While the president has the authority to withdrawal lands, only Congress could reverse a prior decision.
Biden revoked Trump's order on his first day in office before the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could rule on an appeal. Likely legal opposition to Trump's 2025 executive orders could settle the question of a president's authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to overturn a prior withdrawal decision.