Rules governing a six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico have been revised by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, after being struck down late last month by a federal judge in New Orleans.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says "a pause on deepwater drilling is essential and appropriate."According to the New York Times, the original moratorium stopped work on 33 wells being drilled in water greater than 500 feet deep in the gulf and other new regulations have slowed or stopped work on dozens of wells in more shallow water.

The revised moratorium allows some drilling rigs to resume operating if the rig's owners prove that they have adequate plans in place to quickly shut down an out-of-control well, that the blowout preventers atop the wells it drills have passed rigorous new tests, and that sufficient cleanup resources are on hand in case of a spill.

Secretary Salazar asked federal regulators to come up with interim rules by the end of August that would spell out the steps needed for a rig to continue operations. Most rigs, however, would remain barred from drilling in deep water through November.

Salazar also directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (formerly Minerals Management Service) to conduct public hearings and discussions with industry officials to create recommendations for improvements in the safety of deepwater drilling.

There was also positive news regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mississippi. A containment cap stopped oil from flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for first time in months. The fix is not permanent, however.