English 
Francês 
Alemão 
Italiano 
Japonês 
Norueguês 
Portuguese 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
56 Days Before The U.S. Elections, Donald Trump Signs Order Banning Oil Exploration Until 2032, Surprising Entities In The Country
The President of the U.S., Donald Trump, signed an order to extend the ban on offshore oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of Florida until 2032, while seeking to gain support in the state ahead of the elections. The executive order, signed on Tuesday, will also expand the ban to Florida’s Atlantic coast and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina.
“ This protects your beautiful Gulf and your beautiful ocean, and that will continue for a long time ,” said Trump in front of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum in Florida after signing the executive order while officials from the three states watched.
President @realDonaldTrump just signed a presidential order extending the moratorium on offshore drilling on Florida's Gulf Coast—and expanding it to Florida's Atlantic Coast and the coasts of Georgia & South Carolina! pic.twitter.com/PrcSYtkZx1
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOWSee also
Petrobras finds high-quality oil in the pre-salt at 113 km from RJ and reignites expectations about strategic reserves in the Campos Basin.
Ocyan opens registrations for startups focused on innovation in the oil and gas sector and will select projects for Innovation Day with the support of Nexio.
Petrobras announces new oil discovery in the pre-salt of the Campos Basin and reinforces Brazil’s prominence with high-quality reserves that can increase production and energy revenues.
Alert in the fuel market: Analysts and a former director of ANP warn that oil prices may worsen in the coming months due to global instability.
— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) September 8, 2020
Although interest in offshore drilling has diminished due to weak oil demand during the new coronavirus pandemic, the order could be reversed by a future president – as Trump attempted early in his term.
Trump Is Not An Environmentalist
In 2017, Trump signed an executive order aimed at opening more areas in the U.S. for offshore oil and gas exploration.
The former President Barack Obama, in his final days in office, withdrew millions of acres in the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean from future oil and gas activities, but pro-oil and gas officials hoped the next president would be able to overturn Obama’s actions.
On April 28, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13795, aimed at revoking Obama’s 2015 and 2016 withdrawals.
Unfortunately, or fortunately – depending on your point of view and interests – Trump’s 2017 executive order revoking the ban on oil and gas activity by his predecessor in certain areas of the U.S. Arctic and canyons in the Atlantic Ocean was deemed illegal and invalid by a federal judge in Alaska at the end of March 2019.
Everything Can Be An Advantage In The Elections
The Trump administration – which wanted to expand oil and gas exploration in the United States and reverse Obama-era rules on fossil fuel pollution – originally sought to expand offshore drilling off many American coasts, including Florida.
Proposals to drill off Florida sparked fierce opposition from the tourism, real estate, and environmental interests.
The moratorium on drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico was set to expire in 2022. U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio from Florida, who has a bill to extend it until 2027, said earlier this year that he hoped Trump would support his proposed extension.
But many believe that the prohibition extended by President Trump on Tuesday was nothing more than an attempt to score some points with voters.
The Washington Post quoted the executive director of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, Kevin S. Curtis: “ Donald Trump thinks he can fool voters into forgetting four years of environmental failure. It has been a disaster for Floridians, who are paying the price for the climate crisis – rising sea levels, flooding, algae blooms, overloaded storms, and much more – with worse to come if Trump gets another four years .”
Moreover, Politico noted that eight critical states that could influence the 2020 elections for either Trump or Biden will be Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and, of course, Florida.
A recent NBC/Marist poll showed Trump and Biden tied in Florida, each receiving support from 48% of likely voters.
Biden opposes new drilling permits for federal land and waters. The former vice president said Trump refused to listen to scientists on climate change and his environmental record has mainly been about eliminating rules on clean air and water and opening public lands for drilling.
On Twitter, Biden said: “ Just months ago, Donald Trump was planning to allow oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida.
“ Now, with 56 days until the election, he conveniently says that he changed his mind. Unbelievable. You don’t have to guess where I stand: I oppose new offshore drilling .”
Immediately, the National Ocean Industries Association complained that Trump’s measure limits domestic energy production and raw materials for plastics, such as those used for coronavirus protection.
The president of NOIA, Erik Milito, said: “ Our preference should always be to produce local American energy, rather than defer future production to countries like Russia and Iran, which do not share American values. Limiting access to our offshore energy resources only harms America and dulls our national vision .”
On the other hand, environmentalists such as Jaclyn Lopez, a Florida native with the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, said: “ This desperate political maneuver will not make Floridians forget that Trump was the one who proposed opening our state for drilling in the first place .”
Seja o primeiro a reagir!