Drilling nod angers campaigners

Support for energy exploration 'clashes with Obama's green commitments'

The US government's approval of the final permit to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean clashes with the message US President Barack Obama will deliver soon when he visits Alaska to emphasize the dangers of climate change, some environmental groups say.

As much as the groups praise Obama for his overall body of work - from stricter fuel-efficiency standards to regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants - they consider the approval of exploratory drilling in the Arctic a stain on his environmental legacy that will send a mixed message to other countries about the seriousness of confronting global warming.