Administration To Issue New Drilling Ban

The Obama Administration plans to issue a new order imposing a moratorium on deepwater oil drilling after a federal judge blocked enforcement of a previous White House directive temporarily halting all offshore drilling in more than 500 feet of water. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar says the revised order will contain additional information that more clearly explains why a six-month moratorium is necessary in the aftermath of the massive Gulf oil spill. U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman ruled on June 22 that the Administration had failed to justify the need for “a blanket, generic, indeed punitive, moratorium” on all deepwater exploratory drilling projects. The ban, which went into effect on May 28, had idled 33 drilling rigs operating off the Louisiana and Texas coasts until the units were fully inspected and more stringent regulations were put in place. “We see clear evidence every day, as oil spills from BP’s well, of the need for a pause on deepwater drilling,” Salazar said in a statement. “That evidence mounts as BP continues to be unable to stop its blowout, notwithstanding the huge efforts and help from the federal scientific team and most major oil companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico.