Interior Dept. Denies Embargo on Shallow Drilling

The Washington Post reports that the Department of Interior has denied imposing an embargo on drilling in shallow gulf waters.

The Interior Department denied that it has extended a drilling freeze to shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico, contradicting an e-mail written earlier Thursday by the Minerals Management Service's supervisor of field operations for the Gulf of Mexico.

An Interior Department spokesman said "shallow water drilling may continue as long as oil and gas operations satisfy the environmental and safety requirements Secretary [Ken] Salazar outlined in his report to the President and have exploration plans that meet those requirements. There is no moratorium on shallow water drilling."

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