News
Fight over deepwater oil drilling ban continues
Loading ...The fight over a deepwater drilling moratorium will continue Wednesday with the White House vowing to move quickly to issue a new ban on that type of drilling.
A federal judge in New Orleans issued an injunction on the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. President Barack Obama pushed for the ban after the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The White House said it would appeal the ban.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a statement Tuesday saying he would issue a new moratorium quickly.
“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.”
Salazar’s statement did not give an exact date for when the new order would be imposed, saying only “in the coming days.”
He promised that the new order will include evidence that “eliminates any doubt that a moratorium is needed, appropriate, and within our authorities.”
Brian Collins, an attorney for the Justice Department, insisted Monday that the suspension is necessary while officials conduct a safety review.
But a group of companies that provides boats and equipment to the offshore drilling industry filed a lawsuit claiming the government has no evidence that existing operations pose a threat to the Gulf of Mexico and asked the court to declare the moratorium invalid and unenforceable.
Continue Reading at CNN.com.
You might also like
|
|
|
|
|
