The appeals court rejected the drilling ban on deep sea wells, this is good news for Exxon (NYSE:XOM), Conoco Phillips (NYSE:COP), Shell (LSE:RDSA), and BP (NYSE:BP). The Obama administration attempted to put into place a six month moratorium into place. This was decided by a three person panel in New Orleans federal court.
In the ruling, it said that the Interior Department did not prove that the government would suffer "irreparable injury" if the drilling ban was not put into place. The court also decided that it would be harmful and arbitrary where thousands of people depend upon energy companies for their livelihood.
The governments argument is that the moratorium is needed while the Obama administration develops new safety standards. With what has happened with BP being responsible for the worst oil spill in U.S. history, they want to ensure there is ample time to move in more emergency equipment to the Gulf region.
It is expected that the Interior Department will now rewrite the rules and issue a new moratorium. The current ban has stopped the drilling on 33 exploratory wells and put a halt on any new permits.
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