Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill , the U.S Department of the Interior imposed a moratorium on all offshore drilling , both deepwater and shallow water . The ban on shallow water drilling was lifted in May 2010 . However , new regulations imposed on shallow water drilling have slowed the issuance of permits for new shallow water wells . Shallow water operators have called this permit slowdown a " de facto moratorium " that has forced them to idle rig workers and decrease production
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Shallow water drilling