Walruses rest on the shores of the Chukchi Sea, the vast majority of which was designated off-limits to drilling on Tuesday. Ryan Kingsbery/AP

It is impossible to predict what will happen 2017 onward to these final environmental initiatives of the outgoing President of the USA. Nonetheless, we will cheer his efforts on behalf of conservation right to the very end of his term.  Thanks to National Public Radio (USA) for this news:

Obama Designates Atlantic, Arctic Areas Off-Limits To Offshore Drilling

“These actions, and Canada’s parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth,” the White House said in a statement.

President Obama has indefinitely blocked offshore drilling in areas of the Atlantic Ocean and in Arctic waters, a move aimed at advancing environmental protection during his final days in office.

The Arctic protections are a joint partnership with Canada. “These actions, and Canada’s parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth,” the White House said in a statement.

“They reflect the scientific assessment that, even with the high safety standards that both our countries have put in place, the risks of an oil spill in this region are significant and our ability to clean up from a spill in the region’s harsh conditions is limited,” the White House added. “By contrast, it would take decades to fully develop the production infrastructure necessary for any large-scale oil and gas leasing production in the region — at a time when we need to continue to move decisively away from fossil fuels.”

This map shows the Atlantic areas that have been designated off-limits to oil and gas explorations and development activity. White House

Obama’s action designates 31 Atlantic canyons “off limits to oil and gas exploration and development activity,” totaling 3.8 million acres, according to the administration. It provides the same protections to much of the Arctic’s waters, covering the “vast majority of U.S. waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas,” totaling 115 million acres. Canada is doing the same to “all Arctic Canadian waters,” the joint statement adds.

Obama took these actions by invoking a law called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president the authority to withdraw lands from oil and gas leases. But as NPR’s Jeff Brady and Jennifer Ludden report, major questions remain about what will happen if the incoming Trump administration attempts to reverse this action…

Read the whole story here.