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New Offshore Drilling Moratorium: New Rules For Drilling Offshore
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by NowPublic Staff | July 12, 2010 at 03:24 pm
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U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar Issues New Offshore Drilling Moritorium
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The United States federal government has issued a new moratorium and new set of rules for offshore oil drilling.
The new offshore drilling moratorium comes after a Louisiana judge over turned the first offshore drilling moratorium imposed by the Obama administration.
The new moratorium will last through Nov. 30. Unlike the last moratorium, which applied to waters of more than 500 feet, the new one applies to any deep-water floating facility with drilling activities.
The new moratorium sets new rules before oil companies can drill for oil offshore.
To qualify, the rig’s owners must prove that they have adequate plans in place to quickly shut down an out-of-control well, that the blowout preventers atop the wells it drills have passed rigorous new tests, and that sufficient cleanup resources are on hand in case of a spill.
The main lobby group for the oil industry in the USA is the American Petroleum Institute, saying the new moratorium would threaten thousands of jobs.
“It is unnecessary and shortsighted to shut down a major part of the nation’s energy lifeline while working to enhance offshore safety. The new moratorium threatens enormous harm to the nation and to the Gulf region. It places the jobs of tens of thousands of workers in serious and immediate jeopardy and promises a substantial reduction in domestic energy production.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 12:10 on July 13th, 2010
I hope the government sticks to its guns and keeps the pressure on the oil companies to not drill where they know damn well there is a chance of a blowup and they have neither the will or the expertise to handle it.
If the American people and in fact the world do not learn from this disaster, I don't know what it will take to wake them up!