The drilling would be in the area of a proposed National Marine Sanctuary

[arcadian]

http://www.epa.gov/EPA-WATER/1997/August/Day-26/w22602.htm

SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is
withdrawing Norfolk Canyon from consideration as an Active Candidate
for designation as a National Marine Sanctuary. Norfolk Canyon is
located approximately 60 nautical miles east of the entrance to
Chesapeake Bay (offshore Virginia), and is a deep-water site. Norfolk
Canyon was identified by NOAA for further evaluation prior to the
development of the National Marine Sanctuary Program's Site Evaluation
List (SEL). For reasons related to limited agency resources, the remote
nature of the site, and the absence of known threats to the Canyon's
resources, NOAA has decided to withdraw Norfolk Canyon from Active
Candidate status, and terminate consideration of the site for possible
designation as a National Marine Sanctuary.

[Ian David]

1. Not gonna happen. The Republicans will vote against it. n/t

[rcrush]

2. This whole thing is so upside down and backwards I'm lost.

Is it bizzaro world right now? WTF happened?