U.S. and Canadian voices debated the wisdom of the indefinite ban on oil and gas work in some of its territorial waters, the Arctic in particular. As part of a joint move with the Canadian government, outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama used his authority under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to ban oil and gas work in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off the coast of Alaska, as well as Atlantic coast areas. Dale Marshall with Environmental Defense Canada said the indefinite ban on Arctic oil and gas in particular was welcome news for a nation looking to strike a balance between coastal resources and aboriginal and environmental concerns. “The Arctic holds a precious, yet sensitive ecosystem that is vital to Indigenous livelihoods and culture in the north,” he said in a statement. “Increasingly, governments need to be taking steps to remove the […]