Because of this, US energy giant Chevron lost its shale gas exploration permit.

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The exploration permit allowed Pacific Rim to perform exploratory drilling in the area, which is what caught the attention of local communities.

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Pacific Rim acquired a firm that already had an exploration permit, a sort of phase-one permit in the mining world that allows companies to explore an area and determine whether mining would make sense there.

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He said the federal government should provide incentives to states that permit offshore exploration, but he is against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

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Repeated attempts to lift decades-old bans on it have failed, even with mechanisms thrown into energy legislation over the years that would have allowed coastal states the opportunity to permit or deny exploration at various distances off their respective coasts.

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In addition to easing the exploration process with a simplified single permit for both oil and gas, the plan will be accompanied by a parallel effort to minimize local authority over energy projects.

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