The federal government says it will ban offshore oil and gas licensing in Arctic waters, a measure to be reviewed every five years.
The joint announcement with the U.S. also sees President Barack Obama designating the bulk of U.S.-owned waters in the Arctic
Ocean and certain areas in the Atlantic Ocean as indefinitely off limits to future oil and gas leasing.
The move on Tuesday helps put some finishing touches on Obama's environmental legacy while also testing President-elect Donald Trump's promise to unleash the nation's untapped energy reserves