07:12 AM EST, 01/06/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US President Joe Biden on Monday issued presidential memoranda restricting new offshore oil and gas drilling off the country's East and West Coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of the Northern Bering Sea in Alaska.

The rulings prevent any future leasing of the regions for oil and natural gas drilling and have no expiration date, a statement from the White House 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," Biden said in a statement.