Wildlife

Ocean wildlife gain reprieve as offshore drilling plan delayed indefinitely

North Atlantic right whales and other marine wildlife are safe, at least for now, from a Trump administration plan to expand offshore drilling.

On April 25, US Interior Secretary David Bernhardt told The Wall Street Journal that the administration is indefinitely delaying plans to open 90 percent of all federal waters to oil and gas leasing. The delay stems from a U.S. District Court ruling in March that blocked proposed lease sales in the Arctic Ocean. Secretary Bernhardt said the administration will wait for the appeals process to run its course before proceeding with a broader drilling expansion.