Federal Judge Enjoins Moratorium on Deepwater Drilling

NEW ORLEANS - A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction sought by drilling interests and halted government efforts to impose a six-month ban on deepwater drilling in the wake of the BP oil spill. Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC, et al. v. Salazar, et al., No. 10-1663 (E.D. La.).

The June 22 rulingby Judge Martin L. C. Feldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana came at the behest of Hornbeck Offshore Services and other plaintiffs who contend that the ban is unnecessary and has decimated supporting businesses and left thousands out of work.

Judge Feldman …