Multiple groups prep for court battles that will decide fate of millions of acres of ocean — here's what's happening

Several environmental protection groups are suing the Trump administration after its executive order to increase offshore oil drilling off of Alaska.

What's happening?

Up until recently, millions of acres of open ocean were protected, including in the North Bering Sea, as detailed in a Center for Biological Diversity press release.

Within President Donald Trump's first 100 days, he signed an executive order reversing Biden-era policy. In response, multiple lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration, calling the order illegal, as reported by EcoWatch. 

In January 2025, the Biden administration legally protected the North Bering Sea through a 1953 law called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. This law allows presidents to decide to ban offshore drilling in certain waters off of the U.S. coastline without needing approval from Congress.

Earthjustice, one of the environmental groups suing Trump, claims that while it is within any president's power to increase protections over the ocean, it is up to Congress to vote to reduce or remove them and that system of checks and balances must be kept intact.

Why is protecting the Bering Sea important?

Millions of people rely on clean, healthy oceans to survive. Offshore drilling threatens both human and sea life by disrupting complex ecosystems in the intertidal zone and the continental shelf. Communities around the country rely on thriving oceans to promote strong economies through fishing and tourism. This executive order threatens a cleaner, safer future for all.

Additionally, the Alaska coastline is home to more than 20 endangered or threatened species, including beluga and bowhead whales and polar bears. More than 1 million seals, whales, and walruses travel through the Bering Strait to feed and breed in the Arctic, according to the World Wildlife Fund, making it one of the world's largest centers of marine mammal migration and one of the most productive marine ecosystems.

Environmental disasters can be caused by offshore drilling, affecting the ecosystem as well as the health of families on the coastline. Not to mention, oil spills threaten carbon-capturing projects that work to reduce climate change.

What's being done about offshore drilling?

Fortunately, when this situation happened before, the courts favored protecting the environment. 

In 2016, Trump once again sought to open up waters for drilling; reversing a Barack Obama-era ban on offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean. The courts found this measure unlawful in 2019, stating that only Congress can vote to open waters for offshore drilling, per New York Times reporting.

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Even when the ruling was appealed in 2021, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals yet again affirmed that 128 million acres of the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans were permanently safeguarded from increased drilling.

Not to mention, "nearly 400 municipalities and over 2,300 elected local, state, Tribal, and federal officials across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts have formally opposed the expansion of offshore drilling in these areas in view of its severe environmental, health, and economic threats," Biden's White House stated in 2025. 

Senators and governors from both Republican and Democratic parties oppose offshore drilling — and according to the Pew Research Center, most Americans feel the same way. This is why environmental agencies are working hard to protect the democratic process and conserve the ocean and pristine coastline.

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