NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • September 27, 2020
This week, President Trump expanded a ban on exploratory drilling off the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia. The memo makes clear that the ban on leasing does not apply if it's for "environmental conservation purposes, including the purposes of shore protection, beach nourishment and restoration, wetlands restoration, and habitat protection." But even as he announced the action, Trump immediately indicated a willingness to walk things back. The oil industry, which has been blindsided by Trump's shifting environmental policies, decried the expanded moratorium.