OIL DRILLING BAN SET FOR HEARING
A New Orleans U.S. District Judge is scheduled to hear arguments this week presented by a group of oil service companies who claim that the six-month moratorium on drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico is excessive. The ban was imposed by the federal government shortly after the Transoceanic rig explosion and oil leak in late April.
The oil companies claim that the suspension halted drilling at 33 existing exploratory wells without any proof that the operations posed a threat. They also claim that the six-month break could cost Louisiana thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in lost wages.