Last week a Federal Judge in Louisiana
struck down the Obama Administration’s six-month moratorium on off-shore drilling. The President wanted the ban to give time for a blue-ribbon panel to study ways to increase drilling safety. The logic the Federal judge used to overturn the drilling ban
gave me hope the space tourism industry can survive the inevitable crash and death of space flight participants. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman, said this:
"If some drilling equipment parts are flawed, is it rational to say all are? Are all airplanes a danger because one was? All oil tankers like Exxon Valdez? All trains? All mines? That sort of thinking seems heavy-handed, and rather overbearing.”
Although I have every confidence the Administration will appeal and may get the moratorium reinstated over the coming weeks, I was still impressed with the level-headed approach of Judge Feldman. If suborbital companies face legal battles due to tragic crashes, I hope their gavel man is another Judge Feldman.
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