NY Times:
A federal judge in New Orleans on Thursday ordered the Obama administration to move quickly on permits for new deepwater oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that the government could no longer justify long delays in allowing new projects to go forward.
Judge Martin Feldman, of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, said that the Interior Department was required to act on drilling applications “within a reasonable time.”
“Not acting at all is not a lawful option,” Judge Feldman wrote, adding that the delays are “increasingly inexcusable” and were causing drilling companies to relocate their rigs to foreign waters.
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A spokeswoman for the bureau said that officials were reviewing the judge’s decision and would have no immediate comment.
The decision came as a consortium of oil companies said Thursday that they had completed an interim emergency plan to respond to a gulf spill like the one in April caused by a BP blowout. The consortium, known as the Marine Well Containment Company, which includes BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil and Shell, is hoping to convince the government that the industry is ready to start drilling again in the Gulf of Mexico.
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The no comment is to give them time to come up with a rationale to continue their passive aggressive moratorium on deep water drilling. I think the judge needs to hold Salazar and others in the department in personal contempt. They would remain in contempt and subject to penalties until the permits are issued.
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