"Trump Administration OK’s Its First Arctic Offshore Drilling Plan"

"The Italian oil company Eni plans to drill four exploratory wells off Alaska. The last attempt in the region was Shell’s 2015 failure."

"Making good on its promise to jump-start Arctic offshore drilling, the Trump administration gave Italian oil company Eni a quick green light on Wednesday to drill exploratory wells off the coast of Alaska.

This is the first Arctic drilling approval under President Donald Trump. It also will be the first exploration project conducted in the U.S. Arctic since Shell's failed attempt in the Chukchi Sea in 2015.

The approval comes as the administration attempts to overturn former President Barack Obama's ban of new drilling in federal Arctic waters. Eni's leases were exempt from Obama's ban because the leases are not new."

Sabrina Shankman reports for InsideClimate News July 13, 2017.