A federal judge in New Orleans has issued an injunction blocking the President's six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling. According to U.S. District Judge Martin L.C. Feldman the Interior Department failed to show the oil spill triggered by the Deepwater Horizon rig blowout meant there was imminent danger on all deep-water drilling rigs in the Gulf. He said the moratorium has clearly harmed the industry and region. The judge wrote that an invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in depths of over 500 feet cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, local economy, Gulf region and critical present-day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in the U.S.
While the decision was hailed by oil companies working in the Gulf of Mexico - the White House plans to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The court could grant an emergency stay while weighing the case. According to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs until the safety issues are fully understood it doesn't make any sense to drill at those depths.
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