By Institute for Energy Research ——Bio and Archives--June 22, 2010
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If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are? Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy handed, and rather overbearing. (pg. 19) Nonetheless, the Secretary’s determination that a six-month moratorium on issuance of new permits and on drilling by the thirty-three rigs is necessary does not seem to be fact-specific and refuses to take into measure the safety records of those others in the Gulf. There is no evidence presented indicating that the Secretary balanced the concern for environmental safety with the policy of making leases available for development. There is no suggestion that the Secretary considered any alternatives… (pgs. 19-20) An invalid agency decision to suspend drilling of wells in depths of over 500 feet simply cannot justify the immeasurable effect on the plaintiffs, the local economy, the Gulf region, and the critical present-day aspect of the availability of domestic energy in this country. (pg. 22)More on the deepwater drilling ban: Gulf Oil Spill Moratorium Decision: Hornbeck v. Salazar CA 10-1663 Deepwater-Gate: Administration Modifies “Peer-Reviewed” Report After it was Reviewed by Scientists IER Press Release: Mr. President, Focus on Capping, Containing and Cleaning Up the Oil – Not Politics
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