"The United States on Friday said it had revoked a last-minute effort by the Trump Administration to loosen safety regulations for the oil industry in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska.

The rule, which was proposed in December of last year, would have revised a suite of Obama-era rules crafted to improve safety in the extreme conditions of the Arctic, including eliminating a requirement that oil operators submit detailed operations plans before exploration and demonstrate they can quickly deploy containment equipment in case of spills.

"The Arctic exploratory drilling regulations released in 2016 are critical to ensuring adequate safety and environmental protections for this sensitive ecosystem and Alaska Native subsistence activities," the Interior Department said."

Reuters had the story May 7, 2021. [2]