Judge paves way for deepwater drilling in Gulf (Denies delay pending appeal)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: CNN

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- Paving the way for deepwater drilling to resume in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge on Thursday denied a request to keep a moratorium in place pending a government appeal.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman in New Orleans, Louisiana, had issued a preliminary injunction against the six-month ban Tuesday. The government had asked Feldman to delay lifting the ban until an appeals court reviewed the issue later this summer

The moratorium was imposed by President Barack Obama after an April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig off the coast of Louisiana triggered an underwater oil gusher. It prohibited drilling in more than 500 feet of water and prevented new permits from being issued.

In an emergency hearing Thursday, the judge denied the government's motion to stay his decision pending appeal "for the same reasons given" Tuesday for issuing the injunction.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/24/gulf.oil.disaster/?hpt=T1

[PA Democrat]

1. A Reagan appointee.

I guess we shouldn't be surprised that he sees no ethical problems with his decision while holding shares of oil stocks.

http://judgepedia.org/index.php/Martin_Feldman

In 2008 Feldman had financial holdings with Transocean, the company that owned the faulty oil rig. <6> According to the Fiscal Disclosure Report required by the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, Judge Feldman held the following relevant energy and oil industry investments, with a heavy incidence of Louisiana based businesses:

BlackRock ($12000- $36000); Ocean Energy ($1000 – $2500); NGP Capital Resources ($1000 – $2500); Quicksilver Resources ($5000 – $15000); Hercules Offshore ($6000 – $17500); Provident Energy; Peabody Energy; PenGrowth Energy; RPC Inc; Atlas Energy Resources; Parker Drilling; TXCO Resources; EV Energy Partners; Rowan Companies; BPZ Resources; El Paso Corp; KBR Inc; Chesapeake Energy and ATP Oil & Gas. <7>

[PJPhreak]

2. Can you say "Conflict of Intrest"?...I thought so nt

[AndyA]

3. U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman: CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

This Judge should have recused himself, as he has investments with Transocean and others and it's in his PERSONAL best financial interest to allow work to continue, regardless of safety or environmental factors.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman = CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Resign, Judge Feldman. You are a disgrace.

[wordpix]

17. "I ain't giving up my dividends & oil profits"---Judge Feldman

[glinda]

4. Can't Obama issue an Executive Order?

[Bette Noir]

5. Who died and made this guy God?

[Judi Lynn]

6. Judge Refuses to Delay Ruling on Gulf Drilling Ban

Source: The Associated Press

Judge Refuses to Delay Ruling on Gulf Drilling Ban
Judge refuses to delay decision to overturn Obama administration's drilling ban
The Associated Press

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS June 24, 2010 (AP)

(AP) The Justice Department had asked U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman to delay his ruling until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans can review it. Feldman rejected that request Thursday.

On Tuesday, he struck down the Interior Department's moratorium that halted approval of new permits for deepwater projects and suspended drilling on 33 exploratory wells. Feldman concluded the government simply assumed that because one deepwater rig went up in flames, others were dangerous too. The moratorium was imposed after the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 workers. Oil has been gushing from the blown-out well ever since.

The Justice Department said in court papers that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has instructed all employees not to enforce the moratorium. Rig operators are getting letters that say suspension notices they received have no legal effect right now. But the Justice Department argues that delaying Feldman's ruling would eliminate the risk of another drilling accident while new safety equipment standards and procedures are considered.

Feldman had agreed to hold an emergency hearing by phone Thursday on a motion filed by several oilfield service companies who say the Obama administration is ignoring his ruling. But the judge informed attorneys only minutes before the call that he would rule without hearing oral arguments. The hearing would not have been open to the public.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=11003684

[Lil Missy]

7. jackass n/t

[ananda]

8. what did you expect?

He's too invested . . . .

[HillbillyBob]

9. Perhaps the moratorium should be pending

re-inspection of all the wells and their safety equipment.
They pass safety inspections for all their equipment they can start drilling/pumping again. Seems sane to me..then again..sanity does not count for much any more does it?

[FirstLight]

10. So, I guess the US Govt *ISN'T* bigger than BP

What does it mean when the Oil co's control the courts and all the WH can do is say, "please"

the Federated Corporations of Amurika ...yep, that's about it.

[wordpix]

18. that's what it shows, all right, but I give my heart & soul to Obama right now in this effort

He's TRYING to do something. Don't we see what he's up against? GREED and RACKETEERING

[onehandle]

11. Say, what investments does this Judge have?

Just askin.'

[Judi Lynn]

13. (Earlier thread) Judge who overturned drilling moratorium holds stock in drilling companies

Judge who overturned drilling moratorium holds stock in drilling companies
2 mins ago

The federal judge who overturned Barack Obama's offshore drilling moratorium appears to own stock in numerous companies involved in the offshore oil industry—including Transocean, which leased the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig to BP prior to its April 20 explosion in the Gulf of Mexico—according to 2008 financial disclosure reports.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman issued a preliminary injunction today barring the enforcement of Barack Obama's proposed six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling, arguing that the ban is too broad.

According to Feldman's 2008 financial disclosure form, posted online by Judicial Watch , the judge owned stock in Transocean, as well as five other companies that are either directly or indirectly involved in the offshore drilling business.

It's not surprising that Feldman, who is a judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, has invested in the offshore drilling business—an AP investigation found earlier this month that more than half the federal judges in the districts affected by the BP spill have financial ties to the oil and gas industry.

More:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=4437675#4437743

And:

Katrina’s “who dat Judge Martin Feldman” now dabbling in oil!
June 22, 2010

by nowdoucit

He’s back! None other than “who dat Judge Martin Feldman” is about to streamline and steamroll us again. Times Picayune reporter Rebecca Mowbray has the story:

U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman said today that he will decide on whether to issue a preliminary injunction against the six-month deepwater drilling moratorium by noon Wednesday.

After a hearing in federal court this morning, Feldman said he hopes to have his decision ready by noon Tuesday if possible.

The hearing was part of a lawsuit seeking to lift the deepwater drilling moratorium on an expedited basis, despite an effort by the federal government for a delay until the end of July, two months into the six-month shutdown.

Feldman, “a true blue outcome-oriented judicial activist who led the law where he wanted it to go” in Katrina litigation, definitely knows where he’s going with the decision he will make in this case. Anyone doubting the outcome need only to look at his Financial Disclosure Report:

More:
http://slabbed.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/katrinas-who-dat-judge-martin-feldman-now-dabbling-in-oil/

[geomon666]

12. Cause ya know...

It's not like there's a fucking crisis going on or anything.

[seafan]

14. Feldman's $15,000 worth of shares in Transocean wouldn't be served by a moratorium, ya know....

Judge Refuses to Delay Ruling on Gulf Drilling Ban

June 24, 2010



This right wing hack judge ought to be impeached.


Feldman's Financial Disclosure Report, with a big hat tip to Judi Lynn for posting earlier.

[wordpix]

19. impeached and throw out his ruling on conflict of interest, BOTH

[Hulk]

15. This is how our corrupt judicial system works....

A disgrace. Our country really sucks in so many ways!

[drgonzosghost]

16. I remeber him!!!

Rotten decision from a corrupt judge, but it's hard to hate him after watching Young Frankenstein....

[Evasporque]

20. How many shares are under his Wife's name....??? nt