Joe Biden to ban oil and gas drilling on public land in wide-ranging climate change measures

Joe Biden is signing a host of executive orders

Credit: AP

Joe Biden is set to ban new oil and gas drilling on land owned by the US government as he unveils wide-ranging climate change plans.

Mr Biden indicated his administration would move quickly to reverse Donald Trump’s policies on energy and the environment

The indefinite moratorium, expected to be announced on Wednesday, expanded a 60-day suspension of new drilling permits the new president introduced last week.

It also followed Mr Biden’s decision to end the $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline project, which was criticised by Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister.

The latest move was welcomed by environmentalists, but attacked by oil and gas industry groups.

Kieran Suckling, executive director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said: "The fossil fuel industry has inflicted tremendous damage on the planet.

"The administration’s review, if done correctly, will show that filthy fracking and drilling must end for good, everywhere."

Oceana, a marine conservation group, said it was "very excited about the president’s agenda."

But Brook Simmons, president of the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma said: "This is just the start. It will get worse. Meanwhile, the laws of physics, chemistry and supply and demand remain in effect.

"Oil and natural gas prices are going up and so will home heating bills, consumer prices and fuel costs."

An oil field in Texas

Credit: Reuters

Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance, which represents drillers in Western states, said the ban would hit hardest states that voted for Mr Trump, including Utah, Wyoming and Alaska,

She said: "The environmental Left is leading the agenda at the White House when it comes to energy."

Oil extracted from US government-owned areas, including millions of acres in the West, and waters in the Gulf of Mexico, accounts for about 22 per cent of production, according to the American Petroleum Institute. For natural gas the figure is 12 per cent.

Mr Trump had sought to boost production from federal property by loosening environmental regulations, and speeding up issues of drilling permits.

Mr Biden’s move will not mean drilling comes to a sudden stop, as permits granted in the final months of the Trump administration will remain valid and allow energy companies to keep pumping for some time.

The president also signed a raft of executive orders relating to criminal justice and racial equality.

He banned the transfer of surplus military equipment, such as grenade launchers and bayonets, to police forces.

That reinstated a policy from the presidency of Barack Obama.

Mr Biden also created a police commission and ordered a scaling back of the use of private prisons.

Another executive order was aimed at countering discrimination against the Asian-American community.

The order said that had occurred "particularly in light of rhetoric around the Covid-19 pandemic."

Mr Biden said: "America has never lived up to its founding promise of equality for all, but we’ve never stopped trying.

"I’ll take action to advance racial equity and push us closer to that more perfect union we’ve always strived to be."

Meanwhile, the president expressed scepticism that Mr Trump would be convicted in his impeachment trial.

Senators were sworn in as jurors on Tuesday but the trial — for incitement of insurrection — will not begin until the week of Feb 8.

At least 17 of the 50 Republican senators would have to join Democrats to convict Mr Trump.

Asked if he thought that would happen Mr Biden said: "The Senate has changed since I was there, but it hasn’t changed that much."

But he added that "I think it (the trial) has to happen" and there would be "a worse effect if it didn’t happen."