🛢️Interior Department opens 625 million acres despite Ninth Circuit injunction

The 1953 law allows presidents to open or close vast ocean areas to oil drilling through administrative decisions without congressional approval. Trump exploits this authority to override state objections and environmental reviews, demonstrating how mid-20th-century legislation enables modern environmental destruction through executive decree.

California, New York, and Florida oppose offshore drilling that threatens their tourism economies and marine ecosystems. Trump's Interior Department asserts federal supremacy over ocean resources while states claim environmental protection authority, creating legal battles over who controls America's coastal waters and economy.

Petroleum companies gain access to new drilling areas while maintaining liability caps that limit their responsibility for spill damages. The Deepwater Horizon disaster cost taxpayers billions beyond industry payments, establishing the precedent that offshore drilling socializes environmental risks while privatizing extraction profits.

Biden's offshore wind development and marine sanctuary designations disappear through executive orders that prioritize fossil fuel extraction. Americans lose climate protections through bureaucratic changes rather than democratic votes, demonstrating how administrative power can override environmental laws without public input or congressional oversight.