Administration Loses Appeal on Deepwater Drilling Moratorium

A federal court on Thursday refused to reinstate the Obama administration’s six-month moratorium on new deepwater oil drilling.

The administration issued the moratorium while it conducts an investigation into the cause of the explosion that led to the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Last month a federal judge ruled the drilling ban was illegal, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld that decision by a vote of 2-1. The appellate court said the government failed to show how there would be irreparable
harm if the lower court decision is not overturned.

The Department of the Interior said it would issue a new, more specific order on deepwater drilling below 500 feet. Read full coverage at the link below.