Murray’s Statement on Judge’s Blocking of the Offshore Drilling Moratorium

(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement
after a federal judge blocked the temporary moratorium on deepwater drilling.
Murray recently
held a hearing on oil companies putting production and profit over worker
safety, and she sent
a letter to the Administration urging them to order immediate inspections
of all offshore rigs and production platforms in the United State. Murray also
strongly supports a permanent ban on drilling for oil off the West
Coast.

“I
am extremely disappointed that this common-sense moratorium was blocked while
millions of gallons of oil continue to gush into the Gulf. We shouldn’t even
consider putting our environment, our economy, or our workers at risk on
deepwater drilling projects until we know what caused this tragedy in the Gulf
Coast, and until we understand exactly how to prevent anything like it from
ever happening again.

“Eleven
workers died on the Deepwater Horizon, and the devastation to the environment
and the local economy is growing every day. I am glad that the Administration
is appealing this decision. This is one more reminder of the importance of
banning drilling off of the West Coast and making sure nothing like this could
ever happen off of Washington state’s shores.”