Try to reverse THIS! Obama uses old law to restrict offshore drilling

Announcement coincides with Canadian ban.

As President Obama begins his final 30 days in office, he is focusing on legacy policies that will define his presidency. From pardoning prisoners to issuing new orders, Obama is enjoying the last of the public limelight he is likely to have for awhile. In one particular sweeping move, Obama has declared large offshore regions off-limits to oil development, a move that his successor will not able to reverse.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) â€" President Obama has used a law dating back to 1953 to restrict the use of untapped offshore oil reserves. The 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Act allows the president to remove from the market offshore lands that are not presently under development. The law is written in such a way that President Trump will not be able to repeal it.

The decision by Obama sets aside two parts of the sea off the Alaska coast and 31 undersea canyons off the East Coast. Experts say this decision puts an estimated 90 billion barrels of oil out of reach.

At the same time Obama declared these regions off limits, Canada issued a simultaneous announcement that it was placing a ban on all oil and gas drilling in the Canadian Arctic.

President Obama has declared that instead of spending decades to develop the oil and gas resources in these regions, he instead wants the money that could finance those projects to go into research and development for renewables. As renewable energy sources improve in their efficiency and their expense drops, they become more viable options.

There is concern that an oil spill could also permanently damage these sensitive regions.

In addition to banning drilling activity, the US and Canada will be exploring Arctic routes for ships to minimize the impact of shipping in the region as its passages melt.

---

The California Network is the Next Wave in delivery of information and entertainment on pop culture, social trends, lifestyle, entertainment, news, politics and economics. We are hyper-focused on one audience, YOU, the connected generation. JOIN US AS WE REDEFINE AND REVOLUTIONIZE THE EVER-CHANGING MEDIA LANDSCAPE.