Politics

A gesture for the environment which Donald Trump may not appreciate, he who wants to “drill” as from his first day in office.

Indeed, Joe Biden has declared that any new “offshore” oil or gas drilling would be prohibited in a maritime zone of more than 2.5 million square kilometers.

In a press release, he explains: “The time has come to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren. It's clear to me that the relatively minor potential in terms of fossil fuels in the areas concerned (off the east and west coasts, in Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico) doesn't justify the risks to the environment, to public health and to the economy that new concessions and new drilling would pose,” he added.

“We don't have to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy; or between preserving our oceans, our coasts and the food they produce, and keeping energy prices low. These are false alternatives.” A message that directly targets the president-elect, Donald Trump, who throughout his campaign had assured that he would drill heavily in order to reduce the cost of gasoline.

According to the American press, the 78-year-old billionaire could have a hard time countering Joe Biden's decision, the latter relying on a 1953 law giving the federal government authority over the exploitation of offshore seabed resources, the "Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act", indicates RTBF. A text that would force the president-elect to go through Congress to reverse the ban on new drilling.

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: RTBF - Picture: Unsplash)