In the world of smaller daily newspapers, Mondays and Saturdays always competed to produce the thinnest and dullest editions. Saturdays at least had the advantage of high school sports coverage to attract readers. Mondays offered a local business columnist or community round-up, a feature story to anchor the front page, and maybe dross spun into breaking-news gold by the weekend reporter.

The Wall Street Journal clearly runs on a different schedule, in a different news universe all together. The relatively new Saturday edition is more featurish than the other days, true, but it still has so much of interest, including long interviews like Kimberly Strassel’s talk with Ken Feinberg, the federal BP claims adminstrator, or, “Mr. Fairness.”

And Mondays, well, Mondays….!

All these stories and commentaries today are a good read.

Mark Whitehouse, “Some Firms Struggle to Hire Despite High Unemployment, “With a 9.5% jobless rate and some 15 million Americans looking for work, many employers are inundated with applicants. But a surprising number say they are getting an underwhelming response, and many are having trouble filling open positions.”

Michael P. Fleischer, “Why I’m Not Hiring,” a commentary from the president of Bogen Communications in Ramsey, N.J.: “A life in business is filled with uncertainties, but I can be quite sure that every time I hire someone my obligations to the government go up. From where I sit, the government’s message is unmistakable: Creating a new job carries a punishing price.” (continue reading…)

Attorneys for the Department of Interior will be in federal court in New Orleans Wednesday to argue for the dismissal of the suit by Hornbeck Offshore Services Inc. of Covington, La., challening the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling. (New Orleans Times-Picayune, “2 offshore drilling firms to argue the legality of Obama moratorium.”

We recommend this opening statement to Interior’s lawyers: “Your honor, we ask you to dismiss this lawsuit because it has become moot. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar today ordered the lifting of the moratorium.”

Absent that smart choice, the legal question is whether Interior has the authority to issue a moratorium despite its failure to lay out solid, fact-based case for the action. The Administration has, in effect, embraced the “precautionary principle” — because there’s some slight, slight, slight, slight danger of another catastrophic spill, drillers must affirmatively prove that there is NO risk. And you can’t prove a negative.

U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman has previously ordered the lifting of the federal moratorium because of Interior’s “arbitrary and capricious” case versus the economic harm the halt to drilling inflicted on the Gulf Coast.  But since then, the Administration has analyzed the economic impact and concluded the risks justify the effect on local economies and jobs. Right? There’s been an in-depth, serious analysis?

From “Meet the Press,” Sunday, August 8, David Gregory interview with White House energy and environmental advisor Carol Browner:

MR. GREGORY:  You talk about all the work here being done for safety.  Did the White House do any economic analysis about what a moratorium–what impact it would have on jobs in the Gulf Coast?

MS. BROWNER:  There is, there is an economic analysis being done.  It’ll be ready later…

MR. GREGORY:  But it was never done before the moratorium was put in place? Because those who are down there say, “You know what, the moratorium by the Obama administration is far worse than the spill itself.”

MS. BROWNER:  Here’s what we knew the minute the accident happened:  that if there was another accident of equal size, we didn’t have the equipment to respond.  All the boats, all the resources were being used.  We had a close–over 6,000 vessels, we embedded private citizens into this effort.  It was a massive undertaking, and if another accident were to occur, we would not have had the ability to respond.  And, you know, that formed a basis for putting a pause on drilling while we looked at the safety, while we looked at how we would contain it, ultimately, and then clean it up.

Well, since Interior needs an economic analysis, here’s a solid, even conservative one offered by Joseph R. Mason, the chairman of banking at the E.J. Ourso School of Business, Lousiana State University, at a Senate Small Business Committee on July 27, “The Deepwater Drilling Moratorium: A Second Economic Disaster for Small Businesses?”

Mason:

These projections are lower than those presented by other studies because I estimate the period of new production loss to be only six months. However, if we were to extend the loss in new production in our model to the 18 months assumed by other sources, we would see a loss of 36,137 jobs nationally, 24,532 jobs lost in the Gulf region, and 14,156 jobs lost in Louisiana.

His study also examines the loss of earnings and state tax revenues.

Michael Bromwich, the head of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement – formerly the Minerals Management Service — last week said the Administration might lift the moratorium early: “I think it’s everybody’s hope that we will feel comfortable enough that the moratorium can be lifted significantly in advance of Nov. 30.”

Wednesday, August 11, would be significantly in advance of Nov. 30.

Coverage …

• USA TODAY, Aug. 8, “Deep-water drilling ban is hurting related businesses“
• New Orleans Times-Picayune, Aug. 8, editorial, “Obama administration should hasten the end of drilling moratorium.”

Senate Majority Leader has pulled the plug, flipped the switch, powered down and shut off Senate consideration of an “energy bill” this week.

Reid announced the change in plans to reporters this afternoon. He blamed Republicans, saying, “We tried jujitsu. We tried yoga. We tried everything we can with Republicans to get them to come along with us and be reasonable.”

A Fox News blog reports this edifying statement: “Sen Bob Menendez, D-NJ, chairman of the DSCC, bashed Republicans for having ‘special interest’ policies and said this would be the key question of the 2010 elections: ‘Whose side are you on?’”

The bill would have lifted the liability cap on offshore drilling accidents, driving all but the largest operators out of the Gulf of Mexico. More …

• The Hill, “Reid abandons oil-spill, energy legislation“
• AP, “Senate Dems delay vote on oil spill, energy bill“
• Mother Jones, “Reid Punts Spill Bill to September“

Update (12:37 p.m.): House passed rule for H.R. 5175, 220-205. Debate now beginning on DISCLOSE Act.
________
The House has finished debating the rule to set the terms of the one-hour debate on H.R. 5175 and is now voting on several procedural votes. The first is on ordering the previous question, that is, whether to move forward to the further votes. Republicans want to defeat the previous question so they can add legislative language blocking the spending of funds on the IRS hiring of agents to enforce the individual health care mandate.

That debate has merits, but it did inject an partisan-appearing element into what could have been a clear debate of principle, e.g., the First Amendment, against politics, that is legislation crafted to disadvantage speech and speakers whom the bill’s sponsors want to silence. Now it looks like partisanship v. partisanship.

To summarize the arguments for the bill: Corporations buying elections, drowning out the “ordinary citizens.” BP is bad. Insurance companies are bad. Wall Street, tobacco companies, they’re bad, too. The public supports the DISCLOSE Act. And did I mention that BP is bad?

Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) was particularly strong in his rebuttals and defense of the First Amendment. We appreciated his debunking the “Americans support the DISCLOSE Act” canard, noting — as we did yesterday – that the polling supporters are waving about was conducted in February and March, long before the DISCLOSE Act was written. In fact, the text of the bill the House is voting on today wasn’t made available until yesterday afternoon.

Just now, the House ordered the previous question: 243-181. They’re now voting on adoption of the rule.

We’ve been Tweeting the debate @Shopfloor_NAM, using the hashtag term, #DISCLOSE.

U.S. District Court Judge Martin L.C. Feldman today blocked the Obama Administration’s moratorium on deep water drilling. His ruling is here. Excerpt:

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an unprecedented, sad, ugly and inhuman disaster. What seems clear is that the federal government has been pressed by what happened on the Deepwater Horizon into an otherwise sweeping confirmation that all Gulf deepwater drilling activities put us all in a universal threat of irreparable harm. While the implementation of regulations and a new culture of safety are supportable by the Report and the documents presented, the blanket moratorium, with no parameters, seems to assume that because one rig failed and although no one yet fully knows why, all companies and rigs drilling new wells over 500 feet also universally present an imminent danger.

On the record now before the Court, the defendants have failed to cogently reflect the decision to issue a blanket, generic, indeed punitive, moratorium with the facts developed during the thirty-day review. The plaintiffs have established a likelihood of successfully showing that the Administration acted arbitrarily and capriciously in issuing the moratorium.

On May 28, the National Association of Manufacturers issued a statement from NAM President John Engler raising concerns about the overbroad moratorium.

(Hat tip: Michelle Malkin.)

UPDATE (4:40 p.m.): (Reuters) – A majority of Americans still support offshore drilling on the U.S. coastline despite the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

UPDATE (4:50 p.m.): A statement from John Engler, president of the National Association of Manufacturers:

Today’s decision by Judge Feldman is appropriate and important for manufacturers and the entire supply chain. The moratorium immediately shut down 33 deepwater rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and cost thousands of men and women their jobs. Estimates show that the six-month moratorium would result in lost wages ranging from $165 million to $330 million and cost tens of thousands of additional jobs.

Manufacturers throughout the country who make and supply equipment, services, engines, boats and materials such as steel and concrete also would suffer massive economic consequences as a result of the President’s overly broad moratorium.

Today’s ruling is vital to our future energy independence and a step in the right direction for the health of the economy.

From the Congressional Record’s Daily Digest, schedule of today’s committee hearings.

House

Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, hearing on BP-Transocean Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster: Ongoing Response and Environmental Impacts, 10 a.m., 2359 Rayburn.

Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, hearing entitled “Combating the BP Oil Spill,” 2 p.m., or immediately following full Committee, 2123 Rayburn.

Committee on the Judiciary, hearing on the Legal Liability Issues Surrounding the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster, 9:30 a.m., 2141 Rayburn.

Committee on Natural Resources, to continue oversight hearings entitled “Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Strategy and Implications of the Deepwater Horizon Rig Explosion,” 10 a.m., 1324 Longworth.

Senate

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: to resume hearings to examine the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on small businesses, Time to be announced, SR-428A.

Congress is expected to break for the Memorial Day recess, one week back in the home district, on Friday.

President Obama delivers remarks to the press about the Deepwater Horizon accident this afternoon before flying to Chicago with his family for the Memorial Day weekend.

P.S. Jonah Goldberg makes a good, simple defense of the President on the oil spill.

Seems like we’re always writing about Chevron’s legal dispute with the left-wing government of Ecuador and the combine of U.S. trial lawyers/activists/media. Chevron is an energy company, after all, and it works with other major energy companies like Shell and BP to meet consumer demand in some of those most astonishing places in the world.  From last week, a news release, “Chevron Confirms First Oil From Perdido Development.”

SAN RAMON, Calif., Mar. 31, 2010 – Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) announced today that the Perdido deepwater project, located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, has started crude oil and natural gas production. Production from the Great White, Silvertip and Tobago fields utilizing the Perdido hub is expected to reach full capacity of 130,000 barrels of oil-equivalent per day after the drilling of additional wells…

“Perdido represents the industry’s first production from the Lower Tertiary, where Chevron has made multiple discoveries and is a leading leaseholder. This project’s success paves the way to develop further opportunities in this important new area,” said Gary Luquette, president, Chevron North America Exploration and Production Company.

Shell deserves equal billing, at least.  Shell designed and operates the Perdido host spar, the floating production facility, which is jointly owned by Shell (35 percent), Chevron (37.5 percent), and BP (27.5 percent). From a news release, “Shell starts production at Perdido – world’s deepest offshore drilling and production facility“:

Shell today produced its first oil and natural gas from the Perdido Development, the world’s deepest offshore drilling and production facility. Located in an isolated, ultra-deep sector of the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido marks a new era in innovation and safely unlocks domestic sources of energy for US consumers. The facility sits in approximately 2,450 metres (8,000 feet) of water, which is roughly equivalent to six Empire State Buildings stacked one atop the other, and will access reservoirs deep beneath the ocean floor. Perdido smashes the world water depth record for an offshore platform by more than 50%. (continue reading…)

From Slate.com, boiling down Bloomberg, “BP Spends Billions To Hunt for Oil off Brazil“:

BP, the largest oil and gas company in Europe, has finalized a deal to fork over $7 billion in cash for a chunk of Devon Energy Corp.’s assets. BP will buy U.S. deepwater sites in the Gulf of Mexico, sites in Azerbeijan and, most notably, 10 sites off the coast of Brazil, home to some of the largest deepwater oil fields in the world. “This strategic opportunity fits well with BP’s operating strengths and key interests around the world,” BP Chief Executive Officer Tony Hayward told Bloomberg. “As well as giving us a broad portfolio of assets in the exciting Brazilian deepwater, it will strengthen out position in the Gulf of Mexico, enhance our interests in Azerbaijan and enable us to progress the development of Canadian assets.” As part of the deal, Devon will take a 50 percent stake in BP’s Kirby oil sands in Alberta, Canada.

Wall Street Journal editorial, “An Energy Head Fake“:

President Obama used his January State of the Union speech to promise “a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants” and “new offshore areas for oil and gas development.” Judging by its recent decisions, we’d say his Cabinet hasn’t received the memo.

Congress’s ban on offshore drilling expired in September 2008, and a Bush Administration plan for leasing the energy-rich Outer Continental Shelf was due to begin this year. Yet within a month of taking office, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar halted leasing by extending the public comment period by six months. When that period ended last September, Interior said it would take “several weeks” to analyze the results. It has yet to release a summary.

• Deseret News, “Grouse decision could dampen oil drilling“
• Heritage Foundation, The Foundry blog, “Government Picks Wind as Winner, Oil and Natural Gas as Losers“
• Oil and Gas Journal, “Salazar defends proposed increased costs for producers“