Despite judge’s ruling striking down the moratorium, Interior says it will try to stop drilling Baton Rouge, LA
The story says that all of Louisiana’s congressional delegation opposes the moratorium, but they only mention the Republicans. Odd. Otherwise, it appears the moratorium will be effective anyhow, it just won’t necessarily be called a “moratorium” - the Dept of the Interior will simply not issue permits.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Interior Department said Friday that, despite an appellate court ruling striking down its drilling moratorium in the Gulf, it intends to block operations where it can.
A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Thursday to deny the Obama administration’s six-month moratorium on exploratory drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The ban was issued as a result of the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon rig, a disaster that continues discharging oil into the Gulf.
The department said it intends to issue a new moratorium and on Friday stood by its decision that the ban was necessary to ensure safety in the exploratory drilling.
In a statement, the department noted the court recognized that U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar can seek a stay on an emergency basis in the event that an operator seeks to resume deep-water drilling activity in the Gulf.
“We continue to believe that it is not appropriate to drill new deep-water wells in the Gulf until we can be assured that future drilling activity can be conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Louisiana congressional delegation members issued statements hailing Thursday’s federal appellate court ruling. All delegation members oppose the moratorium, saying that it would cripple a vital industry to the state.
“This is a victory for Louisiana workers,” Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge said. “It is time for the administration to end its assault on Louisiana jobs and let our welders, pipefitters and roustabouts get back to making the United States less dependent on OPEC.”
Cassidy has introduced legislation to overturn the moratorium. Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana has done the same in the Senate, but expects President Barack Obama to continue to press for a moratorium, despite the ruling.
“Unfortunately, the looming threat of another moratorium means that most companies are still going to plan for the worst and possibly leave — delivering a crushing blow to jobs in the gulf region,” Vitter said.
Many rig service companies reside in the district of Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany of Lafayette. Boustany wants to see applications to drill approved, he said.
“Unfairly slowing the review process is a de-facto moratorium,” Boustany said.