US allowed drilling 'without required permits'

Telegraph (UK) ^ | Friday 14 May 2010 | | By an AFP reporter in Washington

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A troubled US government agency tasked with managing oil exploration allowed BP and other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first obtaining required permits, a complaint said.

Oil spill scandal: an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, with a complaint claims the Department of Interior has approved over 300 drilling operations, three large lease sales and over 100 seismic surveys without the required permits Photo: AP

The approvals by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) included greenlighting the well drilled by the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig that exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers before burning, sinking and spewing a sea of crude into the gulf, The New York Times reported, citing federal records.

Under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the minerals agency is required to obtain permits before allowing drilling to go ahead in areas where the oil exploration could harm endangered species or marine mammals.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

"was based on the spill and incident-response history in the Gulf of Mexico."

Since this was a new and different field at a different depth and formation...how could they know...

[mainsail that]

Angry Obama Seeks to Deflect Blame for Gulf Oil Spill Crisis
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2513846/posts

[Marine_Uncle]

"Since this was a new and different field at a different depth and formation...how could they know... "
Good question. Plus this was an exploratory drill at very deep depths. Not the typical shallower water production drilling facilities.