News -> INDReporter FRI, JUL 23 10:33AM by Leslie Turk

Government watchdog investigating moratorium

Top scientists’ claims that their opinions were misrepresented to justify a government imposed six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling has led to a federal investigation of the moratorium itself. The U.S. Interior Department’s inspector general is conducting a probe into how the Obama administration came up with its recommendation for the moratorium, which is crippling the economies of south Louisiana and could soon damage the national economy as well.

Confirmation of the probe came Thursday after House Republicans who sought the investigation released a letter from Acting Inspector General Mary Kendall. The congressmen made the request after seven members of the science panel that reviewed safety concerns related to the moratorium objected to their names being used in support of the moratorium when they actually opposed it, saying it goes too far. The Interior Department’s May 27 report, the basis for the moratorium, claimed its recommendations had been “peer-reviewed” by seven experts identified by the National Academy of Engineering. Those experts later came forward to say that was not the case.

A U.S. district court judge struck down the moratorium, but it has effectively shut down deepwater drilling during the appeals process.

U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, who is among those who sought the review, called the news of the investigation bittersweet, according to Friday’s Advocate:
“It’s just bad that we’re losing these jobs,” said Cassidy, who has introduced a bill to repeal the moratorium. “To the degree that we can prevent science from being corrupted to support bad political decisions then we’ve accomplished something.”
Read The Advocate story here.


Comments (5)add
...
written by Think Bigger , July 23, 2010 - 05:26 pm
Thank you Mr. U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy R- Baton Rouge for that statement. We need to stop the corrupt sciences. The left see it as a means to and end, which benefits their agenda.
...
written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , July 23, 2010 - 06:48 pm
obama, IS PLAYING TO THOSE LIMP WRIST POST BABY BOOMERS !
OBAMA, AND HIS AGENDA WILL GO DOWN IN ONE SENTENCE OF THE HISTORY BOOK, as the most biggest goof the AMERICAN VOTERS, could have ever committed for electing BP'S PAIDINFULLMONEYHUNGRIEST FIRSTBLACKMAN TO BREAK THE COLORDOWN AND SET BACK BLACK AMERICA POLITICIANS 100 YEARS THIS Man;s actions will have OLE ABE TURNING IN HIS GRAVE, NOW FOR THOSE IN FAVOR OF IMMIGRATION==== THIS IS A PRODUCT OF IMMIGRATION, "A JOKE "!
...
written by K , July 23, 2010 - 07:12 pm
What evidence do you have that the moratorium is "crippling" the economy here?

Or is this your conjecture reported as fact?
...
written by Resident , July 26, 2010 - 12:34 pm
Um, the expert panel was made up of people from the National Academy of Engineering. Why is it being called a "science panel"? Engineers are not scientists (not implying anything negative here).

The first comment here is a study in irony. "Think Bigger" parrots a typical thought-stopping cliche of the small-thinking crowd. Even if there were science involved in this panel, it was the administration who corrupted the findings, not the panelists. And that happens on the right and left.
...
written by Cajun90 , July 26, 2010 - 01:26 pm
written by K , July 23, 2010
What evidence do you have that the moratorium is "crippling" the economy here?

Or is this your conjecture reported as fact?


Losing a million dollar contract evidence enough? Or how about shipping out over two hundred service technicians to other regions around the world? That is just the tip of the iceberg. Right now we are on life support but industry can only hang on so long before employers have to start pulling the plug.

Like it or not Oil & Gas is the catalyst for the rest of South Louisiana's economy.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Log in using your Facebook account or register if you do not have an account yet.

busy 
LA LA Land
Advertisement
Most Read
Advertisement
Advertisement
in case you missed it