On its way out, Obama administration moves to slam the door shut on Arctic drilling
By Brady Dennis and Steven Mufson November 18 at 3:15 PM
The Obama administration on Friday banned offshore drilling in the Arctic, setting a likely collision course with President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed to “unleash” new energy production in the United States by rolling back restrictions on oil and gas companies.
The move by the Interior Department, part of a new five-year plan for energy development in federal waters, would put a temporary end to exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the Alaskan coast. It also dropped plans to allow companies to drill for oil and natural gas in the Atlantic Ocean off of four southeastern states, including Virginia.
“The plan focuses on lease sales in the best places — those with highest resource potential, lowest conflict, and established infrastructure — and removes regions that are simply not right to lease,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement Friday. “Given the unique and challenging Arctic environment and industry’s declining interest in the area, forgoing lease sales in the Arctic is the right path forward.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/11/18/on-its-way-out-obama-administration-tries-to-slam-the-door-shut-on-arctic-drilling/?utm_term=.f906771f82f9
