We reported previously on the issuance of a preliminary injunction by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana prohibiting the Interior Department from enforcing a six-month moratorium on all drilling in the Gulf of Mexico's Outer Continental Shelf. See here. The NYT is reporting that the Administration's efforts to reinstate the moratorium have been rejected by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit shortly after hearing oral argument on the matter. "The appeals court found that the Interior Department failed to show the federal government would suffer 'irreparable injury' if the moratorium is lifted while it appeals the trial court’s decision."
Will the Interior Department issue a new moratorium to get around this setback?