The Trump administration is trying to force banks to make loans to gun-makers and to finance payday lenders. Critics call the move bizarre. It's opposed by watchdog groups and banks.
The drilling is scheduled to start this month in waters off the Bahamas, just 150 miles from the Florida coast. It's raising alarms among environmental groups and businesses that rely on tourism.
The Interior secretary touted the revised rules as eliminating "unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining safety." But environmental groups said the move demonstrates oil industry influence.
It's a decision opposed by environmental groups, who say the blasts could harm marine animals, and some coastal communities, who fear it could be a precursor to offshore drilling.
The Trump administration could give companies permission to set off sonic explosions to explore for oil and gas deposits. Scientists say this could seriously harm marine life.
In the 1980s, California towns used local zoning rules to block offshore oil and gas drilling. State lawmakers are considering a similar strategy to push back against the Trump administration.
The proposal includes all but one of 26 "planning areas" in federal waters in the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic, comprising about 90 percent of the outer continental shelf.
The president is set to sign an order Friday that aims to expand offshore drilling for oil and gas, and possibly reverse the designation of some marine sanctuaries.
"These actions, and Canada's parallel actions, protect a sensitive and unique ecosystem that is unlike any other region on earth," the White House said in a statement.
The Obama administration has removed Arctic locations from planned oil and gas leases for the next 5 years. Ten of the 11 approved lease areas are in the Gulf of Mexico.
The reversal comes after an uproar from communities in Atlantic coast states over fishing and wildlife. Also, the Pentagon said it would conflict with Navy activity.
The Department of the Interior announced that it is canceling scheduled lease sales of land in the Arctic Ocean. It also won't extend existing leases held by Shell and Statoil.
Shell announced the move late Sunday, describing what the company called "a clearly disappointing exploration outcome" in the Chukchi Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean.
With memories of the massive BP spill still fresh, residents are hoping to stop offshore drilling and underwater seismic testing. Industry leaders say they follow rules meant to protect wildlife.
