Interior halts exemptions from environmental reviews for deepwater drilling

[SpartanDem]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration announced Monday it is requiring environmental reviews for all new deepwater oil drilling.

That means an end, at least for now, to the kind of exemptions that allowed BP to drill its blown-out well in the Gulf with little scrutiny.

The announcement came in response to a report by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which found BP got environmental exemptions based on decades-old data.

The Interior Department said the ban on so-called "categorical exclusions" for deepwater drilling would be in place pending full review of how such exemptions are granted.


Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-gulf-oil-spill-washington,0,7554376.story

[maxsolomon]

1. OMG why doez Obama hate business?

if you make mulitnational oil corporations do an EIS, it will hurt small businesses!

[SILVER__FOX52]

2. You're being sarcastic, right?

[maxsolomon]

4. i think so

but i'm so cynical these days that i lose track.

[TomCADem]

13. No, why are you being sarcastic?

[bergie321]

3. You know who else halted exemptions for deepwater drilling?

Hitler.

:sarcasm:

[Francesca9]

5. make em suck it up

[TomCADem]

6. Obama administration tightens drilling oversight

Source: Texas Austin Statesman

WASHINGTON — The government said Monday it is toughening environmental reviews for all new deepwater oil drilling, ending an easy path to oil riches that allowed BP to drill its blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico with little federal scrutiny.

The step is meant to help redress a history of lax oversight leading up to the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers and led to one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history. About 206 million gallons spilled into the Gulf before BP stopped the leak at the Macondo well.

A report by the White House Council on Environmental Quality found that decades-old data provided the basis for exempting BP's drilling permits from any extensive environmental review.

* * *
The American Petroleum Institute said Interior's new rules on environmental reviews could create unnecessary delays without added environmental protection

Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/obama-administration-tightens-drilling-oversight-863124.html

---

This is going to definitely upset Joe Barton. Perhaps Rep. Barton will apologize to BP once again.

[Francesca9]

7. make them suck up the oil

[Arctic Dave]

8. Yawn. Same boilerplate excuses from the oil barrons.

[earcandle]

9. The plumes at the bottom need to be sucked up.

[primavera]

10. Please, oh please, let it be substantive...

... and not just some watered-down, token gesture.

[w4rma]

11. *Extremely* good. (nt)

[amandabeech]

12. That's a very, very welcome start.

Now, Obama must make sure that the folks in the Mineral Management Service will actually enforce the rule.

That MMS house must be thoroughly cleaned if it already hasn't been.