Vitter Applauds Moratorium Ruling By Judge Feldman

“Judge Feldman’s decision is a sharp rebuke of the Interior Department for continuing to place politics before all else following the BP spill.  A ruling of this nature reveals that the judge believes that Interior blatantly disregarded his earlier ruling – undoubtedly because of their actions that led to the current de facto moratorium,” said Vitter.  “Federal permitting has fallen off a cliff, and the resulting impact on Louisiana families, jobs and domestic energy production has caused a lot of pain in coastal Louisiana.”

The ruling of civil contempt typically serves either to coerce compliance with a federal order or to compensate a party that has suffered unnecessary injuries.  Although it is unlikely that the Interior Department will compensate all the Louisianans who are losing their jobs because of the ongoing de facto moratorium, Feldman’s ruling strengthens the case against Interior for breach of contract claims by leaseholders.  Interior’s mismanagement of the permitting process has likely crippled domestic offshore energy production for years to come, with untold damage to the energy economy in Louisiana and across the United States.