Drilling Moratorium to Return

If at first you don't succeed, try again: Hours after a New Orleans judge struck down the Obama administration's moratorium on off-shore drilling, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced that he will issue a new order reinstating the temporary ban. Salazar said in a statement that the new order will make clear why a six-month moratorium is essential and include additional evidence that safety conditions are inadequate in deepwater wells. "Based on this ever-growing evidence," he said, "I will issue a new order in the coming days that eliminates any doubt that a moratorium is needed, appropriate, and within our authorities." Earlier Tuesday, federal judge Martin Feldman said the Interior Department failed to justify the moratorium and that the failure of one rig does not mean all rigs are dangerous. The White House plans to appeal the ruling.