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Alaska Lawmakers Exploring Legislation to Overturn Obama’s Oil Drilling Bans

© AP Photo / Ted S. WarrenThe Polar Pioneer drilling rig. (File)
The Polar Pioneer drilling rig. (File) - Sputnik International
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Alaska Senator is considering to overturn US President Barack Obama’s recent bans on oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, the lawmakers’ spokesmen said on Thursday.

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan and Representative Don Young are considering legislation to overturn US President Barack Obama’s recent bans on oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, the lawmakers’ spokesmen said on Thursday.

"The Congressman believes this decision can be overturned by the incoming Administration and will be encouraging President Trump to do so," Young's spokesman Matt Shuckerow told The Hill. "In addition, Congressman Young will also pursue legislation to overturn this decision."

Sullivan's spokesman Mike Anderson said Congress could take legislative action to combat lawsuits by environmental groups.

The lawmakers' legislation could overturn Obama's drilling bans or other prior offshore protections, the spokesmen said.

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On Tuesday, Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a joint statement that the United States has banned new oil and gas drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, while Ottawa will not pursue drilling in Canada’s Arctic waters.

Their actions are intended to permanently ban oil drilling in most of the US Arctic waters and large portions of the Atlantic Ocean.

Obama also barred future offshore drilling in the area stretching from the US state of New England to the Chesapeake Bay.

Trump’s spokesman Jason Miller told reporters on Wednesday that Trump had no immediate reaction to the move.

The Hill noted that no president has tried to overturn an offshore drilling ban by a previous president, and the Obama administration believes, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the 1953 law permitting the bans, makes the protections permanent.

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