Trump Seeks To Expand Drilling In Arctic, Atlantic Oceans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order that could lead to the expansion of drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

Trump will order his interior secretary to review an Obama-era plan that dictates which locations are open to offshore drilling, with the goal of the new administration to expand operations.

It's part of Trump's promise to unleash the nation's energy reserves in an effort to reduce reliance on foreign oil and to spur jobs. The effort comes in spite of warnings by environmental activists who say offshore drilling harms whales, walruses and other wildlife and exacerbates global warming.

The order could open to oil and gas exploration areas off Virginia and North and South Carolina, where drilling has been blocked for decades.