The Biden administration will pursue plans to sell the rights to new offshore drilling locations in the Gulf of Mexico, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the decision. The plans are reportedly set to be released Friday and would allow for new leases on drilling for the next half-decade. The move bucks calls from climate activists to end new offshore oil drilling, and paves the way for years of new development and drilling in the area in spite of environmental warnings. The president had previously drawn fire for allowing new gas drilling on federal land after pledging as a candidate to ban the practice.
