What Does the Oil Moratorium Need?
Saturday, February 19th, 2011An six month oil moratorium on the drilling of exploratory oil and gas wells was issued by the United States for the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally a ban was also issued that denys the excavation of the areas that have already been drilled.
After US President Barak Obama responded to the issue of the widening BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, The US Interior Department provided details stopping most of the ongoing and planned exploratory drilling off the US coastline. Immediately after the US president issued the ban, major oil and gas companies like Exxon Mobil and Marathon Oil halted their drilling operations.
The ban requires oil and gas companies to “cease drilling new deepwater wells including sidetrack and bypass activities”. The terms Sidetrack and Bypass wells refers to those that are drilled once the exploratory well has been sunk into the ocean floor. These are used to resolve issues that arise after the “spudding” of the initial well.
All deepwater wells that are located 500 feet or more below sea level are also included in the drilling moratorium. Deepwater drilling is done at depths greater than 1000 feet. The “notice of lessees” issued, confirmed what the Obama administration intended This was announced to reporters by US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
25 percent of the oil used in the US and 5 percent of the domestic gas supply comes from the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This is based on the data provided by the Energy Information Administration which classifies deep water drilling as one that is done at 1000 feet or more. The effects of the six month drilling moratorium will not be felt immediately. However, in future, areas that get most of their oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico will begin to feel the pinch.
The ban has had a ripple effect on over 12,000 people whose livelihood depended on the jobs at the closed rigs. 36 rigs have been closed down and 5 have moved off the coast of Egypt and other African countries. Many feel that the oil moratorium has introduced economic uncertainty that is affecting the decisions of most job creators in the US. This is the reason why some rigs have moved on to other regions since they do not know how to work around the ban. Those that have opted to wait it out till the ban is lifted are doing so at their own risk.
The United States issued a six month oil moratorium on the drilling of exploratory oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico area.