Obama blocks new oil, gas drilling in Arctic Ocean

The US Department of the Interior has proposed a ban on offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean as part of its five-year Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing Plan. “People spoke up loudly and clearly against offshore drilling”. “Doing so would require redoing all that scoping and environmental analysis, which took years to complete”.

The move, announced by U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, “is consistent with the long-standing position of the Pacific coast states in opposition to oil and gas development off their coasts”, the Interior Department said in a statement.

As recently as this spring, the administration was still considering selling leases to drill for oil in the Arctic beginning in 2017.

As he has promised to do with so many of Obama’s previous actions aimed at combatting climate change, Trump will likely try to do away with Arctic drilling ban.

The federal agencies said the one sale in the Cook Inlet would cover the northern portion of the Cook Inlet Planning Area. All other sales laid forth in the plan are in the Gulf of Mexico.

Matthew Paxton is president of the Shipbuilders Council of America, the national trade association representing the USA shipyard industry.

While the administration has cancelled lease sales in the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans for the next five years, the Gulf of Mexico remains under attack by the oil and gas industry and the future fate of our oceans remains unclear. Additionally, more than 72 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama in October urging him to use his authority for permanent protection.

Lawmakers from Alaska decried the decision.

Shell had already said that it would not produce oil in the Chukchi Sea, saying it had not found enough oil to justify the expense. Dan Sullivan in a statement.

“Today’s news couldn’t come at a better time”, said the Sierra Club.

If they did, President-elect Donald Trump, who has presented himself as a vigorous advocate for growing US oil and gas production, would be able to replace Obama’s five year plan with his own. Some of those rumored to be under consideration are former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Oklahoma fracking billionaire Harold Hamm, Lucas Oil CEO Forrest Lucas of IN and Richard Pombo, a former Republican congressman from California’s Central Valley.

The decision means new oil and gas exploration leasing in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea will not be considered until after 2022. Leibowitz says more and more citizens are becoming aware of the dangers of offshore drilling, so there may still be hope for the Gulf’s future. Noble Corp., Vantage Drilling Co. and Diamond Offshore Drilling Inc. all reported ongoing hits to profitability. If the replacement plan covers 2019-24, Book said he would not rule out new sales in now off-limits areas of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico for 2022, 2023 and 2024. And this month the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board enticed BP PLC to pick up new acreage off Canada’s Atlantic shores.

According to Bloomberg, the release of the plan is expected “within days”. Murkowski said the move cedes leadership on Arctic energy production to Russian Federation just as Obama is urging Trump’s administration to stand up to Moscow. But the Interior Department moved to put in place a five-year plan for energy development in government waters.