In a reversal of a long-standing ban, Barack Obama is to allow oil drilling off Virginia's coast - while rejecting some new drilling sites that had been planned in Alaska.

Obama's plan offers few concessions to environmentalists, who have been strident in their opposition to more oil platforms off US shores. Hinted at for months, the plan modifies a ban that for more than 20 years has limited drilling along coastal areas other than the Gulf of Mexico.

Obama will announce the new drilling policy today at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. White House officials claimed the changes would reduce US reliance on foreign oil and create jobs but the president's decisions could help secure support for a climate change bill languishing in Congress.