HONOLULU (AP) — President Barack Obama has designated the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.
The move on Tuesday helps put some finishing touches on Obama’s environmental legacy while also testing President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to unleash the nation’s untapped energy reserves.
Environmental groups hope the ban, despite relying on executive powers, will be difficult for future presidents to reverse.
The White House says Obama has used a provision in a 1953 law to ban offshore leases in the waters permanently.
The Atlantic waters placed off limits are 31 canyons stretching off the coast of New England south to Virginia.
Canada is also placing a moratorium on new leasing in its Arctic waters.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I don’t think it’s sunk in yet just how completely wrong all “conventional” thinking is on issues like this. Or any issue related to Trump.
“Difficult to reverse”? Who the hell thinks Trump cares how “difficult” it is? It would be the absolute pinnacle of presidential behavior for him to try to “reverse” this decision. It seems more likely to me that he simply has his guy Tillerson tell the oil companies to go ahead and set up shop and Perry and Pruitt aren’t going to do shit about it.
Process, propriety, norms, respectful behavior, taboos, red lines…NONE of that exists or matters for Trump.