Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen vowed Sunday to allow France to prospect for oil again on its territory if she is elected in May, a proposal reminiscent of U.S. President Donald Trump 's “drill, baby, drill " policy to speed up fossil fuel development.

In a speech to her National Rally party, at a meeting that it billed as the launch of her presidential campaign, Le Pen said she would abolish a 2017 law that banned the issuing of new exploration permits for hydrocarbons, in favor of renewable energies. It also banned exploration and extraction of shale gas.…