USA and Canada ban Arctic oil and gas drilling

3.1.2017

The United States and Canada have banned offshore oil and gas drilling in parts of the Arctic. The ban has been applauded by environmental groups. Canada will review its decision every five years.

Reason for the ban are risks of oil spills into the environment. It would be hard to clean up such spills in the local harsh environment.

US president Obama used a US law that allows the president to block oil and gas drilling on federal lands. If the next president Trump tries to cancel the ban, he would probably have to face lengthy legal battle. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry lobby group, calls for cancelling of the ban.

The United States currently get about 0.1 percent of their oil from Arctic waters and at current prices few companies have shown an interest in drilling in the harsh waters.

-tk-