According to Alaska Senator Mark Begich, the U.S. President will on Thursday announce the suspension, the New York Times reports. There will be no more drilling before the reason of the accident is determined and stricter safety and environmental safeguards are imposed, the newspaper writes.
Senator Begich has long been a staunch supporter of Arctic drilling. The Obama decision will put on hold planned drilling off the North Slope of his Arctic Alaska.
The spills in the Gulf of Mexico have spurred heated debate about the purposefulness of offshore drilling several places in the world. In Norway, Education Minister and Leader of the Socialist Left Party Kristin Halvorsen has strongly warned against more drilling in the High North.
-I believe this makes a very strong impression on very many people, because it shows that one can not assure oneself against spills when we are dealing with oil, even when there are lots of security arrangements and top modern technology, party leader and Minister of Education Kristin Halvorsen said.
