Federal judge seeks Arctic offshore moratorium answer

Is there a federal moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic or not? U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline is ordering federal and state attorneys to answer that seemingly simple question once and for all -- and soon. In September, Gov. Sean Parnell called a press conference to announce the state was filing suit against the Interior Department and Secretary Ken Salazar to force the government to lift a moratorium on Arctic offshore oil exploration. Shell Offshore Inc. is the only operator seeking to do any work off the coast of Alaska in the foreseeable future, and Parnell has said he wants the moratorium lifted so Shell can drill, which would create jobs for Alaskans and help the economy. Whether that moratorium exists has always been the subject of dispute, and in announcing the lawsuit even Parnell acknowledged it could just be a "de facto moratorium" based on statements made by Salazar at a press conference. Interior officials, including Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement which oversees offshore work, have said there is no moratorium for the Arctic. On Tuesday afternoon, Beistline issued a terse two-paragraph order, saying the court is trying to resolve this case but "is faced with a glaring factual dispute that must be addressed, i.e. whether or not there is a moratorium in place, actual or implied, on shallow well oil drilling in Alaska." "Plaintiffs say there is, Defendants say there is not. But there should be no reason for secrecy or obfuscation. Either there is or there is not. The public, and certainly the Court, is entitled to know."...more