President Obama Indefinitely Blocks Arctic Drilling, Giving Seattle Protesters Some Legit Bragging Rights

Rejoice, kayaktivists! Kelly O

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With less than a month to go until the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, President Obama made a sweeping announcement earlier today that will indefinitely protect much of the Alaskan Arctic and parts of the Atlantic Ocean from offshore drilling. By invoking a 1953 law that does not explicitly allow future presidents to overturn decisions made by previous administrations, Obama has taken 115 million acres of the Arctic and 3.8 million acres of the Atlantic away from prospective drillers.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also made a decision, timed with the Obama administration's, to ban all offshore gas and oil leasing in Canadian Arctic waters for the next five years. The joint announcement cites a "science-based approach to oil and gas" and keeping commercial activities in line with national and global climate goals as primary motivators.

Environmental activists usually want to claim credit for these kinds of political decisions, but this time, they may have earned some legit bragging rights. According to energy reporter Jennifer Dlouhy, who broke the story before today's announcement, the move from the Obama administration came in response to activism against Arctic drilling. The new protections resulted from "a clamor from environmental activists who have looked for a way to lock in protections before President-elect Donald Trump takes office," Dlouhy reported.

Move to block future leasing seen responding to #climate activists who argued the warming earth can't afford to burn Arctic & Atlantic oil. https://t.co/XCcqeS87K1

— Jennifer A. Dlouhy (@jendlouhyhc) December 20, 2016

Marissa Knodel, climate campaigner for environmental group Friends of Earth, agreed that anti-Arctic drilling activists can claim the Obama decision as a victory.

"I think President Obama's administration has been very attentive to what these scientists have been saying," Knodel said. "And they looked at all of their political options very seriously, and I think they objectively came to the conclusion that leasing more areas in our Arctic lands and waters doesn't make sense from a climate perspective, but also doesn't make sense for the communities in these areas. I think what the activism showed was that he was listening to the people as well."

Can you spot @CMMikeOBrien? (He's under the O in CHAOS.) pic.twitter.com/kHUdzEkvsE

— Heidi Groover (@heidigroover) May 14, 2015

According to Knodel, the Obama administration decision isn't so easily overturned. Even though president-elect Donald Trump has pledged to open up offshore areas to drilling, using the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act protects acreage indefinitely—and no presidential administration has reversed earlier decisions invoking the law. If Donald Trump does attempt to reverse the Obama decision, environmental groups will almost certainly sue.