Offshore oil drilling in the Arctic
President Obama and his administration became the first to adopt a policy towards the Arctic Region. The U.S. National Strategy for the Arctic Region (NSAR) to focus efforts on protecting the region and its resources.[1] The establishment of NSAR was followed by Executive Order 13689 which further established protection of the changing Arctic to protect the national interests in the region.[2] The Arctic Region, which consists of the the EEZs of Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Russia and the United States, has become the subject of global environmental change as ocean waters rise and temperatures increase.[3] President Obama later passed the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act which gave the President the power to sell leases on the Outer Continental shelf and withdrawal unleased lands to establish protected areas.[4]
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