Activists from the sHELLNO campaign protest Shell and drilling in the Arctic in Port Angeles, Washington. President Obama announced Tuesday a move to protect large swaths of the Arctic and the Atlantic seaboard from offshore drilling. Photo: Flickr/Backbone Campaign
In one of his final acts as president, and in an effort to solidify his environmental legacy, President Obama announced Tuesday that he would move to secure large swaths of the Arctic and the Atlantic Seabord from offshore drilling.
The news came in the form of a joint statement between the president and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, issued Tuesday afternoon by the White House. “Today, President Obama and Prime Minister Trudeau are proud to launch actions ensuring a strong, sustainable and viable Arctic economy and ecosystem, with low-impact shipping, science-based management of marine resources, and free from the future risks of offshore oil and gas activity,” reads the press release.
According to the New York Times, the president invoked an obscure provision of the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act that grants him the authority to act unilaterally.
Critics view the move as presidential overreach, while environmental groups have resoundingly expressed their support, especially given the perception of the impending presidency of Donald Trump as particularly troubling for the environment.
In a press release, the Surfrider Foundation celebrated the president’s efforts. “The Surfrider Foundation applauds President Obama’s decision to protect parts of the Atlantic and Arctic from future oil and gas development,” said Surfrider Foundation CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen. “Offshore drilling is a dangerous and polluting activity that puts our coastal economies and natural resources at risk. Today’s announcement is a testament to the hundreds of communities, thousands of businesses, and millions of citizens who spoke out against oil drilling off our coastlines.”
The announcement will effectively make 98 percent of Arctic waters owned by the US government – about 115 million acres – off limits to drilling, as well as about 3.8 million acres off the East Coast around coral canyons that stretch from Norfolk, Virginia to the northern border.
White House officials were clear that invoking an obscure section of the OCS Lands Act has been done by presidents since Eisenhower, and cannot be revoked by incoming presidents. But the Washington Post reports that it remains unclear if Congress has the power to do so.
Either way, the move is symbolic. It demonstrates a recognition by this administration that the incoming regime may not prioritize the environment in the same way, and that there’s an air of desperation to push environmental initiatives through and create firewalls that make them difficult to reverse while there’s still time.
