Government seeks delay in moratorium ruling
NEW ORLEANS, LA
In court papers filed with the U.S. District Court in New
Orleans, the Justice Department said that it is seeking the delay
while appealing the decision of U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman.
The Justice Department says a delay would serve the public
interest by eliminating the risk of another drilling accident while
new safety equipment standards and procedures are considered.
The Interior Department imposed the moratorium last month in the
wake of the BP disaster, halting approval of any new permits for
deepwater projects and suspending drilling on 33 exploratory wells.
On Tuesday, Feldman overturned it, saying the government simply
assumed that because one deep-water rig exploded, the others pose
an imminent danger, too.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's determination that a threat
exists has firm support from a variety of sources, the Justice
Department argued in seeking the delay.
"The existence of such a threat is not seriously contested" by
any expert cited by the companies seeking to overturn the
moratorium or by the state of Louisiana, the court filing stated.
"To the contrary, the state of Louisiana concedes that
additional safety measures are necessary, and disputes only the
length of time needed to implement them," the department added.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV-06-23-10 2111CDT
