Gulf drilling permits: "Around the corner, just a longer block"

It might be too late for Louisiana businessman Tom Clements, but the Interior Department might be issuing Gulf of Mexico oil permits in the first half of the year, “I would be stunned if we waited until the 3rd or 4th quarter,” said Michael Bromwich, director of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement told The Hill.

But how soon?

“It’s around the corner, just a longer block," Bromwich added.

That's not encouraging. For Clements, it must be like running a marathon--then finding instead of a mile left in the race--there are five. And a big hill has been added to the course.

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