Task force: Restoring sediment key to Gulf revival

Restoring the flow of sediment to Gulf Coast wetlands and barrier islands that are key wildlife habitats and provide crucial protection from storms, is one of the biggest challenges officials face after last year’s disastrous oil spill…

Senate Blocks GOP Bid to Speed Offshore Drilling

A bid to expand and hasten offshore oil drilling suffered an overwhelming defeat in the Senate, four days after President Barack Obama directed his administration to speed up decision-making on drilling permits and force previously scheduled lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Alaska and Virginia coasts.

Obama announces steps to speed US oil production

Amid growing public unhappiness over gas prices, President Barack Obama is directing his administration to ramp up U.S. oil production by extending existing leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coast and holding more frequent lease sales in a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska.

US Coast Guard slams Transocean

The US Coast Guard slammed drilling rig operator Transocean’s “poor safety culture” in a report Friday on the massive explosion and fire that unleashed the biggest maritime oil spill in history.