US president Obama used a US law that allows the president to block oil and gas drilling on federal lands. If the next president Trump tries to cancel the ban, he would probably have to face lengthy legal battle. The American Petroleum Institute, an industry lobby group, calls for cancelling of the ban.
The United States currently get about 0.1 percent of their oil from Arctic waters and at current prices few companies have shown an interest in drilling in the harsh waters.
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