What could possibly go wrong with this except everything? Much like the defense contractors who bilk taxpayers for millions and still operate, the oil drilling approval process can easily ignore the largest oil disaster in the US. How badly does one have to screw up to get shut out?

“We are working through the regulatory process” to drill in the Kaskida Field, according to the e-mailed statement. “Exact timing for commencement of drilling is subject to approval of the regulator.”

BP is planning to drill Gulf wells in water as deep as 6,034 feet (1,839 meters), according to the agency statement. The Macondo well was in about 5,000 feet of water 40 miles south of Louisiana.

“Our review of BP’s plan included verification of BP’s compliance with the heightened standards that all deep-water activities must meet,” Tommy Beaudreau, the bureau director, said in the statement.