After failing to convince the Fifth Circuit to uphold an earlier ban on deepwater drilling, the Department of the Interior has issued a second moratorium designed to answer the court’s concerns.

The new ban is not based on drilling depth but the nature of the drilling rig.

The new moratorium will last through Nov. 30. Unlike the last moratorium, which applied to waters of more than 500 feet, the new one applies to any deep-water floating facility with drilling activities.
Last week, a federal appeals court rejected the government’s effort to halt the approval of any new permits for deep-water projects and suspended drilling on 33 exploratory wells.

More here.