"WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday confirmed that it will likely delay the release of a long-awaited plan that had been expected to open most of the nation’s coastline for offshore oil drilling, pending the final outcome of a recent court decision that blocks drilling off the Alaskan coast.
The delay appears to be an acknowledgment that the court decision is a significant setback for what President Trump has called his policy of “energy dominance” — an effort to rapidly expand oil and gas drilling across the country.
The reason given for the delay was a March decision by a federal judge in Alaska to reinstate an Obama-era ban on Arctic drilling. “Given the recent court decision, the Department is simply evaluating all of its options to determine the best pathway to accomplish the mission entrusted to it by the President,” a spokeswoman for the Interior Department, Molly Block, wrote in an email."
Coral Davenport reports for the New York Times April 25, 2019.
SEE ALSO:
"Trump Administration Sidelines U.S. Offshore Drilling Plan After Court Ruling" (Reuters)
"Trump Administration Reevaluating Offshore Drilling Plans" (AP)
"Trump Administration Puts Offshore Drilling Plan On Hold After Setback In Court" (NPR)
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