This afternoon, President Barack Obama is expected to announce in a speech at the White House a moratorium on new offshore energy exploration efforts. This ban will have an impact across the country, from Alaska to Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico. The White House is saying that president is open to lifting the ban after 6 months but needs to further study the issue.

In the meantime, the New York Times is reporting that officials are saying efforts to combat the oil spill in the Gulf with a “top kill” method to plug the oil well are doing better than expect.