New Ban Hits Oil Drillers

The Wall Street Journal

Associated Press

(Image, WSJ: A man works on the deck of the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana on Monday.)

"WASHINGTON—The Obama administration on Monday issued a new order banning most new deepwater-drilling activities until Nov. 30, setting up a fresh round of conflict with the oil industry over when it will be safe to drill again offshore.

Associated Press

(Imgae, WSJ: An image from a BP video shows a robotic arm working on the new containment cap Monday at the source of the Deepwater Horizon spill.)

The latest round in the clash over the ban on new drilling got under way as BP installed a new cap on its blown-out undersea well that company and government officials hope will capture all the spewing oil. BP officials have said they are also aiming to finish drilling a relief well that will allow them to permanently stanch the flow. Even after the well is sealed, BP and the Gulf Coast face a lengthy process of cleaning up the huge slick that has fouled beaches and wetlands from Texas to Florida.

The drilling moratorium could last for weeks after oil has stopped gushing into the Gulf. The Obama administration's ban on new deepwater wells is one of the most contentious elements of its response to the nearly three-month-old oil spill." More>>>>