Since Obama has announced a moratorium on permits for drilling new offshore oil wells, at least seven new permits of various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted. The moratorium was meant to ensure that no new accidents occurred while the administration had time to review the regulatory system. Since the Gulf explosion federal regulators have granted at least nineteen environmental waivers, and at least seventeen drilling permits for gulf drilling projects. The Department of Interior officials said the moratorium was meant to only halt permits for drilling new wells, it was not meant to stop permits for new work on EXISTING drilling projects like the Deepwater Horizon. Not only have federal regulators been criticized for signing project waivers but for also failing to review these projects. Although none of the projects that have recently been granted have started drilling, but these waivers have been seen as troublesome, granted through a special legal provision that is supposed to be limited to projects that present minimal or no risk to the environment. Most of the new waivers are for waters that are deeper than the Deepwater Horizon, being classified as "ultra-deep". At least 3 lawsuits have been filed by environmental groups this month, this investigation will take months, while more permits are being released.
Submitted By:Jessica Seggman
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