Fight over drilling ban postponed

Fight over drilling ban postponed—for now

Published Jul 25, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Jul 25, 2012)

The anticipated showdown between House Republicans in Congress and Interior Department officials over the Obama administration's decision to temporarily halt deep-water drilling after the 2010 Gulf oil spill won't materialize today, according to The Houston Chronicle. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings, R-Wash., postponed his panel's planned hearing with Interior Department officials late Tuesday after he said the administration did not commit that the invited witnesses would attend the hearing. Hastings said the rescheduled hearing, expected to occur in September, would allow time "to ensure cooperation." The panel has been investigating how the Interior Department assembled a report that recommended a moratorium on some drilling in the Gulf of Mexico roughly a month after the lethal blowout of BP's Macondo well. The committee is probing whether the report was packaged and edited so that it appeared professional engineers and industry experts who peer reviewed the document signed off on the recommendations, including the urging for a moratorium. Eight of 15 experts named in the report insisted they did not endorse the ban recommendation and maintain it was added only after they reviewed the document. Administration officials have insisted that they never meant to mislead the public. And the Interior Department later edited the report to reflect the concerns. Read the full story here.