Judge Martin L. C. Feldman, the U.S. District Judge in New Orleans, has granted a preliminary injunction against the six month moratorium on Gulf drilling imposed by President Obama and MMS Director Ken Salazar.
The Washington Examiner obtained a copy of the 22 page memorandum from the Judge’s desk explaining the decision.
“After reviewing the Secretary’s Report, the Moratorium Memorandum, and the Notice to Lessees, the Court is unable to divine or fathom a relationship between the findings and the immense scope of the moratorium,” Judge Feldman wrote. “There is no evidence presented indicating that the Secretary [of the Interior, Ken Salazar] balanced the concern for environmental safety with the policy of making leases available for development,” he said. He also asked, “If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are?”
Judge Martin concluded that the moratorium decision was “arbitrary and capricious” and “cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, the local economy, the Gulf region, and the critical present-day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country.”
Full Text: Ruling blocking Obama’s 6 month deepwater drilling moratorium in the Gulf
