It was to be a celebration, but a federal agency in charge of offshore drilling has postponed next week’s annual luncheon in Houston, which was to extol the safety record of offshore oil drilling.

A new posting on the website of the U.S. Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service, or MMS, noted that the agency is busy and the unfolding tragedy that has cost lives and oil might conflict with the May 3 luncheon.

“The ongoing situation with the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling accident has caused the MMS to dedicate considerable resources to the successful resolution of this event, which will conflict with holding this ceremony next week,” the posting said.

Last year, BP America, operator of the deep-water rig that exploded and sank last week, was among the luncheon's winners, cited for “outstanding dedication and leadership in promoting improved medical care and evacuation capabilities for offshore facilities.”

The Minerals Management Service manages oil and gas drilling and production in federal waters and then collects and distributes royalties from any extracted minerals.

--Ken Weiss

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Photo: Coast Guard Capt. Joseph Paradis (R), commanding officer of Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Morgan City, Louisiana, USA, briefs Tony Hayward, chief executive of British Petroleum, on the Deepwater Horizon incident on 28 April 2010. Staging areas are being set up along the Gulf Coast to actively identify, target and protect environmentally and economically sensitive areas. Credit: EPA/MARC MORRISON