From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

America is rejoining the race for Arctic oil.

Hello again, I'm Orin-Aulny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most,

President Obama has protected some parts of the Arctic Ocean,

but he's permitting oil exploration in other parts.

Royal Dutch Shell will be towing massive rigs to and from far northern waters

for drilling during brief summer respites from icy storms.

Environmentalists see potential disasters worse than deep water horizon, which devastated the

relatively placid Gulf of Mexico.

Meantime, Russia, Norway, and even China are also looking at opportunities for Arctic oil

drilling created by climate change.

Today's talking points, state lotteries, a $70 billion tax paid mostly by the poorest Americans.

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, we're on all right back with To the Point.

President Obama has advocated alternatives to fossil fuels, but when it comes to U.S.

sources of energy, he's also been careful to consider all of the above.

Now he's approved exploratory oil drilling in parts of the Arctic Ocean to the outrage of

environmentalists concerned about polluting pristine waters and about climate change.

...