Administration backs off on appeal. But they say they'll develop a new moratorium later.
They're saying they realize that even THAT new moratorium will be successfully appealed ..... but after the next moratorium is blocked by the courts, then their plan is to mount a new better appeal to THAT court order. Unbelievable. Gee, their whole purpose is to DELAY, DELAY, DELAY.
I really do think this must the Cloward-Piven strategy.
This will just sow confusion .... is it safe to go back to work? Does it make sense if they're really gonna come back in a week or month or 3 months and shut everything down again for who knows how long? Why would anyone make new contractual commitments you don't know whether they'll let you fulfill?
NBC's Pete Williams reports that after vowing to seek an appeal quickly, Obama administration officials now say the Justice Department will refrain from any legal action in response to yesterday's court order temporarily blocking the Interior Department's moratorium on offshore drilling:
The plan now is for the government to seek a new moratorium, doing so in a way that avoids some of the legal problems identified by the judge who issued yesterday's injunction. For example, the judge chided the Interior Department for claiming that a panel of outside experts had endorsed the moratorium issued in late May, when, in fact, they favored something less sweeping.
Once the Interior Department issues its new moratorium, the government fully expects another legal challenge and very likely another court order blocking it. But on the second round, with a modified moratorium, the Justice Department believes it would be on firmer ground to seek an appeal.
fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com
If they really think they have grounds for a moratorium, they should appeal NOW and make the case. If they don't have grounds, give up. This threat just amounts to harassment. |
