Officials from the Ensco Offshore Company appeared in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on Jan. 12 in connection with a lawsuit the company filed last year against the moratorium on issuing drilling permits. The moratorium was enacted after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ensco told the court that although the moratorium has been lifted, officials continue to unreasonably delay action on deepwater drilling permit applications. Ensco is seeking a preliminary injunction compelling the US Department of Interior to "expeditiously" process five pending permit applications the company has filed. The US Department of Justice denies there are delays and says that the additional time is due to new safety precautions to which the DoI must adhere.

From Jurist, Jan. 13. Used with permission.

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