REUTERS
* A victory for drillers, White House to challenge ruling
* Interior Dept to issue new order for moratorium
* Offshore operators say they await appeal outcome
By Mary Rickard
NEW ORLEANS, June 22 (Reuters) – A U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday against the six-month moratorium that President Barack Obama’s administration imposed on deepwater drilling over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, prompting officials to vow to appeal and retool the ban.
The order, in a New Orleans federal court, was a blow to the White House which had insisted a ban on offshore drilling below 500 feet (152 meters) would allow enough time to ensure other exploratory drilling was proceeding safely.