WASHINGTON—Amid tensions surrounding the offshore drilling moratorium, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar defended the measure Thursday on Capitol Hill. A judge in Lousiana struck down the ban earlier this week.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, which oversees legislation related to the oil industry, met to discuss future practices in offshore drilling.
Among the goals discussed: the requirement of viable response plans for future spills, putting a halt to cozy relationships with big oil and the research and development of new technologies to respond to future deep water spills.
Much of the conversation was dedicated to President Barack Obama’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, which was overturned by a federal judge in New Orleans Tuesday.
Salazar said the judge’s decision was the wrong one. The Department of Justice has filed an appeal.
“I will use my executive authority as a secretary to fashion a new order that continues the moratorium,” he said.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., cited the negative impact such a measure would have on the region’s economy by putting tens-of-thousands out of work.
Accompanying Salazar was Michael Bromwich, director of the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, making his first appearance in front of the committee. Bromwich, who is only in his fourth day on the job, admitted that it has been a quick immersion process for him, but that there are challenges that he looks forward to meeting.
According to Bromwich’s official statement, his goal is to develop a set of recommendations for Salazar and Obama that will improve how the organization functions.
He added that he is “committed to eliminating improper incentives and influences, creating a culture for the OCS program that is devoted to vigorous and effective regulation and enforcement, and establishing the Bureau as an agency that is focused on safety and environmental protections.”