The Obama administration lifted its moratorium on deep-water oil drilling this week and instituted new safety regulations on deep-water rigs. “We have made and continue to make significant progress in reducing the risks associated with deep-water drilling,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The moratorium was imposed after BP’s Macondo well blew out in April, causing the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Industry has been urging relief from the ban, which left 33 rigs and thousands of workers idle. Last week, a draft report by a White House commission suggested that the administration’s low estimates of the Macondo spill had hampered early cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
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