Interior Secretary Salazar says new drilling moratorium could have flexibility

Salazar says drilling moratorium could be refined

WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says a new order imposing a moratorium on deepwater drilling could be refined to reflect offshore conditions.

Salazar told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday that he plans to issue a new drilling freeze after a federal judge struck down a previous ban on Tuesday. But Salazar says the new ban “might be refined.”

He says the order, which is still being developed, could include provisions to allow drilling in areas where reserves and risks are known rather than in exploratory reservoirs.

Salazar says the order probably will include criteria for when the ban would be lifted.