On Tuesday, the federal judge from New Orleans held the federal government’s six month moratorium on oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico preventing new oil drilling in the gulf.
The plaintiffs recent action is in response to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s statement Tuesday that he would try to reformulate the moratorium and would include criteria for ending it, prompting Wednesday’s request by Hornbeck and the other companies.
The companies said in the memorandum filed with the federal court "Secretary Salazar's comments have the obvious effect of chilling the resumption of OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) activities, which is precisely the wrong this court sought to redress through its preliminary injunction order”.
At a news conference today in New Orleans, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced stated that BP said it would not pay claims that arise out of the moratorium.