What Is Drilling?

What restrictions were/are in place for near-shore oil drilling in the United States?

• During and after the BP oil spill this past spring/summer, I have heard complaints from different coworkers and acquaintances to the effect of: "the EPA wouldn't allow drilling near the shore, so they forced the oil companies into drilling within more difficult/dangerous deep water; the EPA caused this mess" Is there any credibility to this type of statement? I have seen a picture of an oil platform in sight of the beach in Texas... is this a state-by-state ban? Would an oil well blowout in shallow water be less of a risk since it would be easier to fix? Please cite articles or the actual laws/regulations that ban oil drilling near shore. Thanks... hopefully I can get a clear

• Answer:

  In the U.S., extraction of oil and gas is generally regulated by the individual states through statutes and common law. Federal and constitutional law apply as well.The current regulations were written in 1978, when offshore drilling was in near-shore areas with quicker access to help from on-shore facilities.Obama imposed a drilling moratorium on the entire Gulf of Mexico just after the BP spill. That ban on shallow water drilling was lifted in June, and the ban of deepwater drilling, where the BP accident took place, was lifted in October. You can find a plethora of websites regarding the subject both on federal and state levels