"Marine services and shipbuilding companies that benefit from deepwater oil drilling will face off against the federal government in court again Wednesday over the government's ban on offshore drilling.

The U.S. Department of Interior, which issued a new drilling moratorium on July 12 after the original was struck down in court, has asked U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman to dismiss the case brought by Covington-based Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC. The Interior Department argues that the rule that was the subject of Hornbeck's original complaint -- the first moratorium -- no longer exists."

Rebecca Mowbray reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune August 8, 2010. [2]