NEW ORLEANS, June 24 (UPI) -- A federal judge in New Orleans Thursday denied the Obama administration's request to stay his ruling lifting an offshore drilling ban while it's under appeal.

In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman denied the motion to stay his decision issued Tuesday granting a preliminary injunction on the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling.


The administration asked Feldman to delay his decision to lift the ban until an appeals court reviewed the matter later this summer.

In his two-page decision, Feldman extended the time the federal government had to report its compliance with the injunction from 21 days to 30 days, "in light of the defendants' pending appeal."