Biden to ban offshore oil, gas drilling in vast areas ahead of Trump term

US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of America's coastline, weeks before Donald Trump takes office.

The ban covers the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska.

It is the latest in a string of last-minute climate policy actions by the Biden administration ahead of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Trump has vowed to revoke the ban "immediately" when he takes office, but he may find it difficult to reverse under US law.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to "unleash" domestic fossil fuel production in a bid to lower gas costs, despite the US already seeing record high extraction rates.

Announcing the new drilling ban, Biden said: "My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses, and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation's energy needs.

In a radio interview, Trump branded the ban "ridiculous". "I'll unban it immediately," he said. "I have the right to unban it immediately."

Trump has previously said he will reverse Biden's conservation and climate change policies.