President Obama said the government would open large tracts of the Atlantic coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska’s north coast to oil exploration and drilling. “To sustain economic growth,” Obama said, “we’re going to need to harness traditional sources of fuel even as we ramp up production of new sources of renewable energy.”
Officials described the policy as a “middle way” between unchecked offshore drilling and a complete ban on exploration. The move is also calculated to win GOP support for a climate-change bill that Congress will consider later this year. It’s unclear how much oil and natural gas lie beneath the waters that would be opened up to exploration.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Taliban's quest for tourists to see the wonders of AfghanistanUnder The Radar Troubled country wants to become a 'tourism powerhouse' – but how safe is it?
-
Magazine solutions - May 17, 2024Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 17, 2024
-
Magazine printables - May 17, 2024Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 17, 2024
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion banSpeed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling BiblesSpeed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitnessIn Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
