The US presidential administration has permitted the Italian oil and gas company Eni to conduct oil exploration in the Arctic Ocean, TASS reports citing a statement made by the US Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Eni has received permission to drill an exploratory well in the Beaufort Sea in order to test the conditions for subsequent extraction of crude oil there. The work may begin as soon as next month. The administration of the previous US president, Barack Obama, set tough conditions for drilling operations in the Arctic and, ultimately, decided to prohibit the leasing of drilling sites in the region. Eni has already signed a lease on a plot of land where it intends to conduct work in connection with hydrocarbon exploration.

According to TASS, it is the first time in two years that the federal government has permitted the exploration of oil in the US part of the ocean. "Responsible resource development in the Arctic is a critical component to achieving American energy dominance," noted BSEE Director Scott Angelle.

US President Donald Trump is in favor of drilling oil wells in the Arctic and other regions of the US, where it was forbidden before.