With Moratorium Lifted, Time to Start Issuing Permits

Emily Goff / October 14, 2010

Yesterday the Obama Administration lifted the moratorium on deepwater drilling that it imposed on the oil industry following the BP oil spill in late April. This announcement comes ahead of the expected November 30 end date for the moratorium. According to The New York Times:

We have made and continue to make significant progress in reducing the risks associated with deepwater drilling,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told reporters on a conference call. Therefore, he said, “I have decided that it is now appropriate to lift the suspension on deepwater drilling for those operators that are able to clear the higher bar that we have set.

By “progress,” Salazar refers to regulatory changes the Department of the Interior (DOI) released recently that address safety concerns about blowout prevention practices, emergency response, and worker training, for example. (more…)