US Judge overrules drilling ban, White House to appeal
23 Jun 2010
A federal judge in New Orleans yesterday ruled against the six-month ban on all deep-water offshore drilling projects imposed by the Obama administration following the massive oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon rig blowout in April.
The White House responded by saying that it would appeal the ruling.
On 20 April, the Deepwater Horizon rig owned by Transocean Ltd blew up after catching fire, killing 11 people and led to the worst oil spill in US history.
The well is 65 per cent owned by BP of the UK, 25 per cent by Anadarko Petroleum of the US and 10 per cent by Mitsui & Co of Japan.
Louisiana-based Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC had filed a case in early June in a US District Court, which was later joined by several other offshore drilling companies, to remove the temporary ban imposed by the US Department of Interior after the spill from the Macondo oil well operated by BP.
The department of interior had on 6 May put out a drilling moratorium on all offshore drilling that was to last through the month, but an angry US President Barrack Obama extended the moratorium for six months.
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