The Interior Department reiterated late on Thursday that it would issue the new order on deepwater drilling below 500 feet (152.5 metres) to address the concerns raised by federal courts. It did not say when the new ban would be issued.
"Based on what we have learned since the BP oil spill, it has become increasingly clear that companies may not have adequate containment and response capabilities to respond to a spill and therefore, as the secretary has said previously, he will be issuing a new moratorium," Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said.