At Salazar's request, judge allows Alaskan oil testing to proceed

The hits just keep on coming. In other oil news, the judge who stopped drilling off Alaska's Arctic shore says that non-drilling activities, such as seismic testing, can proceed (my emphasis):

A federal judge has clarified his ruling that stopped companies from drilling oil and gas wells off Alaska's coast, saying the ruling shouldn't prevent approved scientific work such as seismic surveying.

U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline, responding to a motion filed by Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc., said his order last month that blocked drilling doesn't prevent the seismic studies by Shell that had been approved by the federal government or that were pending approval and planned for this summer. Seismic surveying involves blasting sound waves into the sea floor and reading the echoes off rock formations deep underground in an effort to identify where oil and natural gas might be trapped. Seismic work occurs in advance of drilling.

But wait. Didn't the Obama administration Just Say No to Arctic oil drilling? Well, there's those pesky lost corporate profits to consider:

The Obama administration is among those seeking clarification from Beistline, a rare recent case of the administration siding with the oil industry. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asked the court to narrow the ruling so that another company, Statoil, which owns 16 Chukchi leases, could start seismic testing roughly 100 miles from the coast. Government attorneys told the judge that Statoil, a global oil company partly owned by the Norwegian government, would likely face "significant economic losses" if it couldn't proceed with seismic surveying.

And boom go all the fishies:

Environmental groups said they were stunned by the administration move . . . marine mammals such as whales and walruses can be harmed by the testing. The impact of such tests on marine life was one of the issues the court said the federal government failed to consider adequately before issuing the Arctic drilling leases.

But look at these bright shiny jobs, bro:

"The public interest is in preventing the hardship Alaskans will suffer from lost jobs and economic growth if the injunction remains in place," [Alaska Gov. Sean] Parnell said.

That's Norwegian corporate profits, if you're reading closely.

But don't worry, progressives — the earth still spins on its axis. If Team Change gets a House subpoena after the 2010 elections, it will still be your fault.

GP