Today — due to the important, irreplaceable
values of its Arctic
waters for Indigenous, Alaska Native and local communities» subsistence and cultures, wildlife and wildlife habitat, and scientific research; the vulnerability
of these ecosystems to an oil spill; and the
unique logistical, operational, safety, and scientific challenges and risks
of oil extraction and spill response in Arctic
waters — the United States is designating the vast majority
of U.S.
waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas as indefinitely off limits to offshore oil and gas leasing, and Canada will designate all Arctic Canadian
waters as indefinitely off limits to future offshore Arctic oil and gas licensing, to be reviewed every five years through a climate and marine science - based life - cycle assessment.