Deepwater Drilling: Offshore Oil Progress Delayed Under "Slowmatorium"

As seen in the June 17th issue of The State Journal.

Just over a year ago, in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident, the future of offshore oil exploration looked bleak. With the nation fixated on video of crude oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, President Obama quickly instituted a six-month deepwater drilling moratorium. Obama lifted the moratorium last October; however, many claim that the moratorium has not gone away, but was replaced by a de facto moratorium, colorfully called the "permitorium" or "slowmatorium." While the Obama Administration no longer blocks all deepwater drilling permits, new permits are still rare.

The Administration denies that it is purposefully delaying the issuance of deepwater drilling permits. Instead, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement ("BOEMRE"), Michael Bromwich, claims the delays result from the enforcement of new strict environmental and safety rules. These new rules have sent