Judge blocks Gulf offshore drilling moratorium

[Raider]

It's nice to finally see some Justice in this Country.

This 6 Month moratorium that put nearly a hundred thousand people out of work should of NEVER happened in the first place, You don't shut down the whole airline industry when one airliner crashes do you?.

But that's what our President did, Instead of putting in immediate safeguards that would allow these rigs to operate, he closed them all down so he could politicize it, Not caring one bit what happened to the thousands of people put out of work, or how much the price of gas would go up,

Judge blocks Gulf offshore drilling moratorium

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press Writer


NEW ORLEANS – A federal judge struck down the Obama administration's six-month ban on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, saying the government rashly concluded that because one rig failed, the others are in immediate danger, too.

The White House promised an immediate appeal. The Interior Department had halted approval of any new permits for deepwater drilling and suspended drilling of 33 exploratory wells in the Gulf.

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama believes strongly that drilling at such depths does not make sense and puts the safety of workers "at a danger that the president does not believe we can afford."

Several companies that ferry people and supplies and provide other services to offshore drilling rigs asked U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans to overturn the moratorium.

They argued it was arbitrarily imposed after the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and blew out the well 5,000 feet underwater. It has spewed anywhere from 67 million to 127 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.

Feldman sided with the companies.

"What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deepwater drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm," he wrote.

Feldman's financial disclosure report for 2008, the most recent available, shows holdings in at least eight petroleum companies or companies that invest in them, including Transocean Ltd., which owned the Deepwater Horizon. The report shows that most of his holdings were valued at less than $15,000, though it did not provide specific amounts.

It's not clear whether Feldman still has all of the energy industry stock listed in the report. Recent court filings indicate he may no longer have Transocean shares. He did not own any shares in big companies such as BP PLC, which was leasing the rig that exploded, or ExxonMobil.

Feldman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about his current holdings.

Josh Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, said his ruling should be rescinded if he still has investments in companies that could benefit from Tuesday's ruling.

"If Judge Feldman has any investments in oil and gas operators in the Gulf, it represents a flagrant conflict of interest," he said. "It is possible that he has sold off those assets. We just don't know."

Feldman's ruling prohibits federal officials from enforcing the moratorium until a trial is held. He did not set a date.

The lawsuit was filed by Hornbeck Offshore Services of Covington, La., and company CEO Todd Hornbeck said after the ruling he is looking forward to getting back to work.

"It's the right thing for not only the industry but the country," he said.

Earlier in the day, executives at a major oil conference in London warned the moratorium would cripple world energy supplies. Steven Newman, president and CEO of Transocean, called it an unnecessary overreaction.

"There are things the administration could implement today that would allow the industry to go back to work tomorrow without an arbitrary six-month time limit," Newman told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

BP CEO Tony Hayward skipped the event after coming under fire for attending a yacht race in England on Saturday rather than dealing with the spill.

Shares of BP, which owns 65 percent of the blown-out well, dropped 81 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $29.52, near a 14-year-old low for the shares in U.S. trading. Shares of other companies associated with the spill remained low despite Feldman's ruling.

The drilling moratorium was declared May 6 and originally was to last only through the month. Obama announced May 27 that he was extending it for six months.

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal and corporate leaders said that would force drilling rigs to leave the Gulf of Mexico for lucrative business in foreign waters.

They said the loss of business would cost the area thousands of lucrative jobs, most paying more than $50,000 a year. The state's other major economic sector, tourism, is a largely low-wage industry.

Feldman agreed, writing: "An invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in depths over 500 feet simply 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."

Tim Kerner, the mayor of Lafitte, La., cheered the ruling.

"I love it. I think it's great for the jobs here and the people who depend on them," said Kerner, whose constituents make their living primarily from commercial fishing or oil.

In its response to the lawsuit, the Interior Department had argued the moratorium was necessary as attempts to stop the leak and clean the Gulf continue and new safety standards are developed.

"A second deepwater blowout could overwhelm the efforts to respond to the current disaster," the Interior Department said.

The government also challenged contentions the moratorium would cause long-term economic harm. Although 33 deepwater drilling sites were affected, there are still 3,600 oil and natural gas production platforms in the Gulf.

Catherine Wannamaker, a lawyer for environmental groups that intervened in the case and supported the moratorium, called the ruling "a step in the wrong direction."

"We think it overlooks the ongoing harm in the Gulf, the devastation it has had on people's lives," she said. "The harm at issue with the Deepwater Horizon spill is bigger than just the Louisiana economy. It affects all of the Gulf."

___

Associated Press Writers Pauline Arrillaga in Lafitte, La., and Jane Wardell and Robert Barr in London contributed to this report.

[biggedon]

It's nice to finally see some Justice in this Country.

This 6 Month moratorium that put nearly a hundred thousand people out of work should of NEVER happened in the first place, You don't shut down the whole airline industry when one airliner crashes do you?.

But that's what our President did, Instead of putting in immediate safeguards that would allow these rigs to operate, he closed them all down so he could politicize it, Not caring one bit what happened to the thousands of people put out of work, or how much the price of gas would go up,

raider, you really should stop with the truth bending and trying to assume what or how obama feels about the people of this country

it's gone past pathetic

how can you put in safeguards for rigs to operate, when you don't even know the quality of the construction of those rigs?

it's like saying, yeah your plane crashed, but you can fly it again as soon as you repair it....without the FAA doing any investigation or checking the black box.


where were you back on 9/11 when 3 planes crashed in one day, and the airline industry was shut down?


BTW: do you still post domains for sale anymore?

[Gerry]

raider, you really should stop with the truth bending and trying to assume what or how obama feels about the people of this country

it's gone past pathetic

Oh, you mean like the bending of truth as in the entire oil industry was shut down instead of just the deep water rigs - the same type of rig that blew up?

And the fact that when one airliner does crash, that YES - you do ground the entire fleet. You ground the entire fleet of that same make and model the cause is found and repaired (think Alaska Airlines flight 261 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-83).

See, that entire fleet of aircraft was grounded and rightly so as it was a part failure in the tail that brought the plane down and killed more than 80 people.

But, the airline travel for other airliners continued unabated.

Just like what the moratorium was hoping to accomplish on the same make, model, and type of well - the deep water wells. A thorough inspection and review of procedures, materials used, safety measures to "safeguard" the lives of workers vs "safeguard" the oil industries interests first.

Meanwhile, the "on-shore" and the "shallow water" wells continued to operate.

Very confusing...first it was "where is Obama" to "get him out out of here".

Get the hell out of our Gulf but you better clean up this mess we caused!

Ain't domaining fun.

Ain't Justice Blind!

---------- Post added at 06:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:08 PM ----------

he he he...this is going to turn out to be a funny story.

Take a look at this (regarding the Judge):

Does judge own oil stock?

Feldman's financial disclosure report for 2008, the most recent available, shows holdings in at least eight petroleum companies or companies that invest in them, including Transocean Ltd., which owned the Deepwater Horizon. The report shows that most of his holdings were valued at less than $15,000, though it did not provide specific amounts.

And this point as to what was "actually affected"...

During a two-hour hearing Monday, plaintiffs' attorney Carl Rosenblum had argued that the suspension could prove more economically devastating than the spill itself. "This is an unprecedented industrywide shutdown. Never before has the government done this," Rosenblum said.

Interior countered that while 33 deepwater drilling sites were affected, there are still 3,600 oil and natural gas production platforms in the Gulf.

Amazing what truth benders can accomplish. Yes, "industrywide shutdown" as in Deep Water Wells, not the "rest of the industry".

Oh, mercy me! We have hundreds of thousands of people out of work because of your brutal and unwarranted moratorium.

And, WHY OH WHY has gas here gone down from $2.99 per gallon to $2.68 per gallon since this moratorium put the squeeze on the oil industry threatening world supply!

And I dare that attorney to head to Houma or Venice LA and say that the moratorium "could prove more economically devastating than the spill itself" when some areas may be closed to fishing for decades now due to the spill.

---------- Post added at 06:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 PM ----------

Prehaps Precious should start posting threads in the Legal section since it contains so many untruths and partial truths.

[Donald Aquilano]

I'm glad there is someone in the judicial system that has half a brain. Obama has no idea how damaging his policies are to this country. His Social, economic and foreign policies have left this country in the worst condition it seen since the great depression. The phrase "one-termer" comes to mine.

[Gerry]

Yahoooooooooooooo!

Yipppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAWW WWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Oil wins!

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida Coasts drown in oil soaked beaches!

Lick that slick, suckers!

[Poker]

why bother...

[500,000]

...

[Gerry]

Yes indeed.

Amazing how things work.

The Oil Companies find a judge, who just happens to own Stock in TransOcean along with numerous other Oil Companies, to stop the moratorium.

Simply fascinating how "blind" justice is.

We'll be seeing another reversal of that decision.



Meanwhile, they who started this thread is in another thread commenting how bad they feel about all the wildlife and oil on the beach but PRAISES this as a huge victory for those against Obama. Never once considering the impact and risks that still exist by not having a disaster plan or contingency plan in place (oh yeah, save the walruses) or the technology, equipment, and know how to fix this situation should it happen again.

Yes, hold up the "V" for victory while shedding a tear for the wildlife, beaches, boaters, shrimpers, crabbers, fisherman, and those that make their living on and off the gulf.

Such a strong and noble cause for every one to celebrate.

Simply fascinating to see people pissing all over themselves all giddy and happy and sh*t.

[000]

The MD-80 series fleet kept flying after Alaska 261 went down. The NTSB investigation started immediately and on 02/11/2000, eleven days after the accident, the FAA issued Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2000-03-51 to all operators of DC-9, MD-90-30, MD-88, and 717-200 series airplanes. AD 2000-03-51 required operators to perform a general visual inspection of the lubricating grease on the jackscrew assembly and the area directly below the jackscrew and surrounding areas for the presence of metal shavings and flakes and to replace the assembly before further flight if shavings or flakes were found. The AD also required inspection and lubrication of the jackscrew assembly, prior to the accumulation of 650 hours total time-in-service or within 72 hours after receipt of the AD and were to be repeated at intervals not to exceed 650 flight hours. FAA's mission is "to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world." AD 2000-03-51 was fast action to enable safe efficient commerce. On the other hand a time based moratorium, for example grounding the MD-83 fleet for six months, would have been oppressive and punitive regulation, causing economic and political shock waves.

[Gerry]

The MD-80 series fleet kept flying after Alaska 261 went down.

I am actually quite familiar with that NTSB investigation. Immediately after the accident, the entire fleet was sidelined until the cause of the accident was identified. This fact may not be mentioned in the actual NTSB report but the grounding of this aircraft was done. If I recall correctly, it was actually Alaska Airlines itself that grounded the aircraft immediately after the accident. The lose of flight revenue and the revelation of faulty (if existent at all) maintenance records nearly bankrupted the company. Alaska Airlines lost the trust of the public.

The Flight Data Recorder of the crashed plane was found a few days after the accident which revealed the primary cause to be mechanical failure. Fortunately, the time from crash to cause was not a protracted ordeal.

However, I never implied or attempted to imply the MD-80 fleet was grounded for 60 days.

My eldest brother, other than being a retired Air Force Pilot of the C5A Galaxy, spent some time with NTSB, then later with LearJet, GulfStream, and now a NASA Shuttle Inspector.

Perhaps the Air Force (and other branches of the military) are more stern for grounding of aircraft type if an aircraft (fixed wing or helo) go down. But civilian agencies and airplane makers do this as well.

It is normally standard policy to stop flying an aircraft of a particular type that has gone down for unknown reasons or even known reasons. This is a story of the Bombardier grounding their fleet after a landing gear failure.

There are numerous cases where the FAA has grounded entire fleets of particular aircraft. At one time it grounded more than 180 LearJet 45's. And many times these groundings are based on the NTSB recommendations (findings).

[Gerry]

Geez! Triple post???

Yikes.

[Raider]

raider, you really should stop with the truth bending and trying to assume what or how obama feels about the people of this country

I know Obama well enough that I don't have to make assumptions about him...... Don't think for a minute Biggy that Obama cares about the people of this great country because he DOESN'T, All this bastard cares about is staying in power and advancing his progressive agenda, He made that very clear when he LIED, BRIBED, CHEATED and RAMMED Nationalized Health Care down the throats of the American PEOPLE, Against their will.

Obama makes it very clear how much he feels about us, Like FAILING to focus on creating jobs in the private sector during his first year, or roaming the countryside playing Golf as nearly 5 MILLION people lost their jobs in 2009 alone, He talks the good talk though, Like when he said we needed to act RIGHT NOW to pass a $787 BILLION Dollar Stimulus Bill, otherwise unemployment would rise about 8%, The Billed passed and the national unemployment rate has been at 10% for I don't know how long now. Yeah he cares all right.

3 TRILLION added to the National Debt since this SOB took office, I'm sorry but it's really hard for me to look my Kids in the eyes and tell them Obama cares when their on the hook to the Government for $42,325 each.

it's like saying, yeah your plane crashed, but you can fly it again as soon as you repair it....without the FAA doing any investigation or checking the black box.

First of all, It's already been determined what caused the explosion... Second, I'm NOT suggesting that we lift the burnt and mangled DeepWater Horizon Rig from the bottom of the ocean floor and put it back in operation. But I get what your saying, For example; If Toyota had an acceleration problem on one of their cars that was causing them to crash, the US Government should step in and NOT allow the cars to be driven on the roads until the HTSB conducts it's investigation, I GET IT NOW.

Just because one rig acted recklessly doesn't mean all of them are acting reckless, But we want to make sure right? Fair enough, however it doesn't take 6 months to do that, NOT even a month to send COMPETENT inspectors to those rigs to do a thorough inspection and give them a green light... Many of the 33 off shore rigs shutdown in the Gulf already have safeguards installed that would of prevented this accident, 5 of those rigs belong to Shell Oil Co, Each one of them has automatic preventers installed on them, the very device that would of prevented this accident from happening, So why should they suffer as a result of the rigs that dont have them?

But getting back to this moratorium, Do you really think Obama imposed this 6 month moratorium because he thought it could happen again? This moratorium is nothing but a political stunt, a bargaining chip to advance legislation for renewable energy and cap and trade.. "You vote for MY Bill all you Republicans and I'll remove the moratorium" Meanwhile the lives of thousands of Oil workers and their Families are destroyed.... What a great guy he is.

where were you back on 9/11 when 3 planes crashed in one day, and the airline industry was shut down?

And how long was the Airline industry shutdown Biggy? Answer: 2-3 DAYS

Not for 2 months like this Oil accident and NOT for 6 Months.

BTW: do you still post domains for sale anymore?

Not really, I gave that up a long time ago, theirs much MORE money when you sell to end users.

Why do you ask? Is DNF now a FOR SALE only forum?

[biggedon]

i know the obama bashing will continue but, thanks raider for at least trying to understand a need for safety and security in this oil disaster


sure a moratorium may cost jobs, but the oil that has spilled so far and the oil that will continue to spill until/if it is contained.....will continue to cost the environment.

who knows how it will affect the future of weather around the world?


these are "unmeasurable" potential consequences, that we as humans must consider before allowing any more offshore drilling.


given a choice between having gas for your car or having the oceans are full of oil slicks...which would you choose?


maybe it's time to consider renewable fuel sources


imo...



@ Doc, ntsb/faa stuff impressive

[000]

I am actually quite familiar with that NTSB investigation. Immediately after the accident, the entire fleet was sidelined until the cause of the accident was identified. This fact may not be mentioned in the actual NTSB report but the grounding of this aircraft was done. If I recall correctly, it was actually Alaska Airlines itself that grounded the aircraft immediately after the accident.

Source?

AP reported on 02/11/2000 that two Alaska Airlines MD-80 series planes were grounded today after problems were found in the jackscrews, a focus of the investigation into the crash of Alaska Flight 261. (source)

Seattle PI reported on 08/04/2000 that Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded 17 of its MD-80 jetliners because the tool used to check the jackscrew -- the part implicated in the crash of Flight 261 -- might have produced faulty readings... Sixteen of the 17 planes grounded for retesting were back in service by mid-afternoon, and the other plane was expected to be returned to service shortly ... (source)

The 08/04/2000 temporary grounding was preceded by FAA AD 2000-15-15 issued on 07/28/2000.

However, I never implied or attempted to imply the MD-80 fleet was grounded for 60 days.

I agree. My point is that US civil aviation authorities address unsafe conditions by issuing airworthiness directives to inspect/fix specific problems. FAA can also take enforcement actions against regulated entities that lead to civil penalty or certificate suspension or revocation. FAA, unlike DOI, does not issue moratoriums against regulated activity for arbitrary lengths of time.

[Poker]

Ok, I'll bother....

Not caring one bit what happened to the thousands of people put out of work, or how much the price of gas would go up.

The Spill put people out of work. Not only oil workers but many others in the fishing and tourism industries.

The Spill was caused by huge oil co's driven by huge profits with no contingency plans should such a disaster occur.

The spill was facilitated by lax regulation of big oil by the Bush administration.

Bush and Cheny close friends with big oil, nah, theres no proof of that in their personal histories.

I'd ask WTF is wrong with you, but after all your crazy spin threads and posts, I honestly don't even care. In fact we should all stop responding to threads like this and just let them die the death they deserve...alone.

[Raider]

First off, this is not a "Spill" you moron, it's a broken pipe leaking one mile below the ocean.

The Spill put people out of work. Not only oil workers but many others in the fishing and tourism industries.

Yes, were quite aware of this already... It's already been covered in other threads., try reading next time OK?

The Spill was caused by huge oil co's driven by huge profits with no contingency plans should such a disaster occur.

When will you liberals STOP using "Greed" as the number one excuse for what happened?, Was Shell Oil Greedy when they spent $500,000 a piece for every automatic shut off valve on every rig they have in the Gulf when they were NOT required to? Like always, you don't know what the hell your talking about.... If you want to talk about Greed, just look at the Greed by the unions who are bankrupting many States in this country, why don't you leftist bastards ever go after them?

The spill was facilitated by lax regulation of big oil by the Bush administration.

Your the first nit wit to come along and imply Bush is to blame for this, Bush was not the President for the last 18 months, YOUR Boy was..... He had 18 months to reform the MMS and make these rigs safer and DIDN'T do it, Maybe it was that record high donation from BP he got, What motivation does Obama have to make BP do the right thing when they gave him all that cash? Not very much.

Bush and Cheny close friends with big oil, nah, theres no proof of that in their personal histories.

Your ignorance just never stops does it? You don't know that BP has long been a company very FAVORABLE to the Democrat party?

Total Donations from BP to GW Bush: $47,388
Total Donations from BP to Obama as Senator: $77,051

Total Donations from BP given for lobbying during the Obama adminstration; $15.9 MILLION.


Obama biggest recipient of BP cash
By: Erika Lovley
May 5, 2010 05:05 AM ED

While the BP oil geyser pumps millions of gallons of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama and members of Congress may have to answer for the millions in campaign contributions they’ve taken from the oil and gas giant over the years.

BP and its employees have given more than $3.5 million to federal candidates over the past 20 years, with the largest chunk of their money going to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Donations come from a mix of employees and the company’s political action committees — $2.89 million flowed to campaigns from BP-related PACs and about $638,000 came from individuals.

On top of that, the oil giant has spent millions each year on lobbying — including $15.9 million last year alone — as it has tried to influence energy policy.

During his time in the Senate and while running for president, Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.

More >>>>

In fact we should all stop responding to threads like this and just let them die the death they deserve...alone.

Sounds good to me... That way I wont have to waste my time dealing with anymore stupidity from the left.

But it's nice to see you again Poker, It seems the only time you respond in the political section these days is when you see a opportunity to blame Bush and bash the messenger.... Those Blame Bush cards expired last year you know, you really need to trade them in for a stack of Blame Obama cards;

[H2FC]

First off, this is not a "Spill" you moron, it's a broken pipe leaking one mile below the ocean.




Yes, were quite aware of this already... It's already been covered in other threads., try reading next time OK?




When will you liberals STOP using "Greed" as the number one excuse for what happened?, Was Shell Oil Greedy when they spent $500,000 a piece for every automatic shut off valve on every rig they have in the Gulf when they were NOT required to? Like always, you don't know what the hell your talking about.... If you want to talk about Greed, just look at the Greed by the unions who are bankrupting many States in this country, why don't you leftist bastards ever go after them?





Your the first nit wit to come along and imply Bush is to blame for this, Bush was not the President for the last 18 months, YOUR Boy was..... He had 18 months to reform the MMS and make these rigs safer and DIDN'T do it, Maybe it was that record high donation from BP he got, What motivation does Obama have to make BP do the right thing when they gave him all that cash? Not very much.






Your ignorance just never stops does it? You don't know that BP has long been a company very FAVORABLE to the Democrat party?

Total Donations from BP to GW Bush: $47,388
Total Donations from BP to Obama as Senator: $77,051

Total Donations from BP given for lobbying during the Obama adminstration; $15.9 MILLION.


Obama biggest recipient of BP cash
By: Erika Lovley
May 5, 2010 05:05 AM ED

While the BP oil geyser pumps millions of gallons of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico, President Barack Obama and members of Congress may have to answer for the millions in campaign contributions they’ve taken from the oil and gas giant over the years.

BP and its employees have given more than $3.5 million to federal candidates over the past 20 years, with the largest chunk of their money going to Obama, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Donations come from a mix of employees and the company’s political action committees — $2.89 million flowed to campaigns from BP-related PACs and about $638,000 came from individuals.

On top of that, the oil giant has spent millions each year on lobbying — including $15.9 million last year alone — as it has tried to influence energy policy.

During his time in the Senate and while running for president, Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.

More >>>>





Sounds good to me... That way I wont have to waste my time dealing with anymore stupidity from the left.

But it's nice to see you again Poker, It seems the only time you respond in the political section these days is when you see a opportunity to blame Bush and bash the messenger.... Those Blame Bush cards expired last year you know, you really need to trade them in for a stack of Blame Obama cards;

Congratulations.....You win the BULLSHIT IDIOT AWARD of the year!

[500,000]

...

[Raider]

I nominate President Obama for that Award.

I nominate our resident environmental fanatic; H2FC, For supporting a President who has FAILED to take command of this leak.

What was it the President said last month? Let's all listen OK?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imNpRBVs06M

"I'm not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is contained and cleaned up and the people in the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and livelihoods."

After the President said this, he found it perfectly appropriate to go out and play Golf this month;



Did the leak stop? Is the oil contained and cleaned up? Have the people gone back to their lives and livelihoods?

H2FC must cerainly think so, otherwise why would he be giving Obama a FREE PASS and claiming he's the best President this Country has ever had?.

Is he a HYPOCRITE or is he just plain STUPID?.... My feeling is that he's both

[Poker]

Okay, it's completely clear now. She's just nuts.