The Other McCain

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Judge Blocks Obama Administration Offshore Drilling Ban; UPDATE: Text of Ruling; Obama Vows to Appeal Decision

Posted on | June 22, 2010 | 32 Comments

Instapundit links the news from Bloomberg.

UPDATE: Judge Martin Feldman sides with the people against the powerful:

A New Orleans federal judge lifted the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by President Barack Obama following the largest oil spill in U.S. history. . . .
More than a dozen Louisiana offshore service and supply companies sued U.S. regulators to lift the ban. State officials claim 20,000 Louisiana jobs are in jeopardy if the deepwater drilling suspension lasts 18 months. . . .
Lawyers for the drilling companies told Feldman the moratorium illegally sidesteps a required industry comment period. They also said regulators failed to tell Obama that all active deepwater rigs passed an immediate re-inspection after the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank, with only two rigs reporting minor violations and the rest getting approval to continue operations.

Video background from the Associated Press:

UPDATE II: Judge Feldman’s findings:

  1. that plaintiffs are substantially likely to prevail on the merits of their claim for the government defendants’ violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and its implementing regulations;
  2. that, in the absence of the relief requested, plaintiffs will incur immediate and irreparable harm to business including the irretrievable loss of vessels’ useful life, loss of crews that have long been associated with their particular vessels, loss of shore-side teams and disruption of longstanding contractual relationships with offshore service vendors and other satellite services for the operation of its fleet, all of which is not subject to calculation;
  3. that the irreparable harm to plaintiffs should the Court decline to grant the application for the relief requested outweighs the harm which the granting of such relief may cause to any legitimate interests of defendants; and
  4. that the entry of this Order will serve the interests of justice and the public interest.

    5.  

You know who doesn’t give a damn about “the interests of justice and the public interest”? Barack Obama:

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Obama plans to appeal a federal judge’s ruling to strike down a six-month moratorium on deep-water oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Obama believes “that continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make any sense and potentially puts the safety of those on the rigs and the safety of the environment in the Gulf at a danger,” Gibbs said.

UPDATE III: Michelle Malkin has much more, including the full text of the judge’s ruling. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is in deep doodoo.

UPDATE IV: Ace of Spades adds some discussion of evidence that BP went cheap on its safety mechanisms, kind of like Miley Cyrus conveniently “forgetting” to wear underwear.

Category: Alabama, Barack Obama, Environmentalism, Florida, Louisiana, Texas

Comments

32 Responses to “Judge Blocks Obama Administration Offshore Drilling Ban; UPDATE: Text of Ruling; Obama Vows to Appeal Decision”

  1. Bob Belvedere
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 6:34 pm

    Score one for Right Reason!

  2. Bob Belvedere
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 2:34 pm

    Score one for Right Reason!

  3. Dave C
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 6:46 pm

    He’s partially right:

    “that continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make any sense. . .”

    We need to drill in shallower waters where spills can be easily contained. Unlike what’s happening now.

  4. Dave C
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 2:46 pm

    He’s partially right:

    “that continuing to drill at these depths without knowing what happened does not make any sense. . .”

    We need to drill in shallower waters where spills can be easily contained. Unlike what’s happening now.

  5. Robert Stacy McCain
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 7:04 pm

    Dave, the role of regulation here is little understood, but the fact is that this is the first-ever disaster of its kind since deepwater drilling began in the Gulf. Shutting down all wells because of a single (and perhaps anomalous) accident just doesn’t make sense. It is a politically-motivated substitute for effective action to help fix the spill.

  6. Robert Stacy McCain
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

    Dave, the role of regulation here is little understood, but the fact is that this is the first-ever disaster of its kind since deepwater drilling began in the Gulf. Shutting down all wells because of a single (and perhaps anomalous) accident just doesn’t make sense. It is a politically-motivated substitute for effective action to help fix the spill.

  7. Miss Sharon
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 7:07 pm

    5th circuit appeal. Scheduled to go on vacation next Thursday per #rush.

  8. Miss Sharon
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 3:07 pm

    5th circuit appeal. Scheduled to go on vacation next Thursday per #rush.

  9. Estragon
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 7:26 pm

    Thank God we still have some federal judges willing to resist the Rule by Decree of Comrade Obama.

  10. Estragon
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 3:26 pm

    Thank God we still have some federal judges willing to resist the Rule by Decree of Comrade Obama.

  11. Dave C
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 8:57 pm

    I meant that the regulations that drove oil companies to making floating oil drilling platforms that can drill a mile underwater and then another 2-3 miles through the bedrock is what helped contribute to the spill that is going on now.

    drill in shallower waters where complications of deep water drilling won’t hinder capping efforts in the case of an emergency.

    And drill on land too.

  12. Dave C
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 4:57 pm

    I meant that the regulations that drove oil companies to making floating oil drilling platforms that can drill a mile underwater and then another 2-3 miles through the bedrock is what helped contribute to the spill that is going on now.

    drill in shallower waters where complications of deep water drilling won’t hinder capping efforts in the case of an emergency.

    And drill on land too.

  13. Adobe Walls
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 9:34 pm

    My idea of an energy policy would best be described as a free for all, just to set the correct tone there should be a drill rig on the White House lawn. As one of the rigs that passed the inspections is now at the bottom of the Gulf I imagine that one of the appeal arguments will be that the Govt. isn’t competent to determine whether or not a rig is following best practices.

  14. Adobe Walls
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 5:34 pm

    My idea of an energy policy would best be described as a free for all, just to set the correct tone there should be a drill rig on the White House lawn. As one of the rigs that passed the inspections is now at the bottom of the Gulf I imagine that one of the appeal arguments will be that the Govt. isn’t competent to determine whether or not a rig is following best practices.

  15. Red
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 9:36 pm

    You know Pat in Shreveport has been covering all of this like a woman on a holy mission. She’s a fighter.

  16. Red
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 5:36 pm

    You know Pat in Shreveport has been covering all of this like a woman on a holy mission. She’s a fighter.

  17. Red
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 9:38 pm

    Here is an aggregate post of most of her reports on the gulf oil spill.

  18. Red
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 5:38 pm

    Here is an aggregate post of most of her reports on the gulf oil spill.

  19. Red
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 9:39 pm

    Crap. Let’s try this again. Some days my html really sucks.

  20. Red
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 5:39 pm

    Crap. Let’s try this again. Some days my html really sucks.

  21. Robert Stacy McCain
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 10:16 pm

    Some days my html really sucks.

    It happens to us all.

  22. Robert Stacy McCain
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 6:16 pm

    Some days my html really sucks.

    It happens to us all.

  23. Lonely Conservative
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 11:06 pm

    My html is the worst.

    I linked you here: http://lonelyconservative.com/2010/06/federal-judge-issued-injunction-on-obamas-drilling-moratorium/

    😉

  24. Lonely Conservative
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 7:06 pm

    My html is the worst.

    I linked you here: http://lonelyconservative.com/2010/06/federal-judge-issued-injunction-on-obamas-drilling-moratorium/

    😉

  25. Rae
    June 23rd, 2010 @ 1:00 am

    Judge Martin Feldman

    Loved him in “Young Frankenstein.” Love him even more now.

    In related news, BP took O Duce’s escrow deal to limit its liability.

    Ain’t fascism grand?

    Some days my html really sucks.

    It happens to us all.

    A preview would help…

  26. Rae
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 9:00 pm

    Judge Martin Feldman

    Loved him in “Young Frankenstein.” Love him even more now.

    In related news, BP took O Duce’s escrow deal to limit its liability.

    Ain’t fascism grand?

    Some days my html really sucks.

    It happens to us all.

    A preview would help…

  27. JeffS
    June 23rd, 2010 @ 1:38 am

    My idea of an energy policy would best be described as a free for all, just to set the correct tone there should be a drill rig on the White House lawn.

    I agree, but make sure there’s still room for a nuclear reactor later.

  28. JeffS
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 9:38 pm

    My idea of an energy policy would best be described as a free for all, just to set the correct tone there should be a drill rig on the White House lawn.

    I agree, but make sure there’s still room for a nuclear reactor later.

  29. cbullitt
    June 23rd, 2010 @ 2:42 am

    As much as I hate that we have degenerated into a Jurisdocracy, This is fantastic.
    Buck Ofama!!

  30. cbullitt
    June 22nd, 2010 @ 10:42 pm

    As much as I hate that we have degenerated into a Jurisdocracy, This is fantastic.
    Buck Ofama!!

  31. Video:FL Sen. George LeMieux: “Where are the Skimmers?” « Nice Deb
    June 23rd, 2010 @ 10:19 am

    […] More on this at The Other McCain: Judge Blocks Obama Administration Offshore Drilling Ban; UPDATE: Text of Ruling; Obama Vows to Appe… […]

  32. Federal Judge Issued Injunction on Obama’s Drilling Moratorium :: The Lonely Conservative
    July 7th, 2010 @ 7:49 pm

    […] The Other McCain has more information and Michelle Malkin has the full text of the decision. Share this post Hide Sites $$('div.d21709').each( function(e) { e.visualEffect('slide_up',{duration:0.5}) }); Arkayne = window.Arkayne || {}; Arkayne.baseurl = 'http://www.arkayne.com'; Arkayne.go = function(e, a, view, cid, gid) { var id = a.getAttribute('id'); var orig = a.getAttribute('href'); var target = a.getAttribute('target'); var redir = [Arkayne.baseurl, view, cid, gid, ''].join('/'); redir += '?ts=' + Math.random(); // prevent caching redir += '&url='.replace('#38;', '') + escape(a.href); a.setAttribute('href', redir); setTimeout('Arkayne.restore("' + id + '", "' + orig + '")', 0); return true; } Arkayne.restore = function(id, orig) { var a = document.getElementById(id); if (a) a.setAttribute('href', orig); } […]