'NYT': Drilling Permits Still Being OK'd; Palin: Obama Too Cozy With Oil Cos.

There's plenty of news to pass along about the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, so let's get right to it.

The New York Times this morning has this headline on its front page: "Despite Obama's Moratorium, Drilling Projects Move Ahead." According to the Times:

"In the days since President Obama announced a moratorium on permits for drilling new offshore oil wells and a halt to a controversial type of environmental waiver that was given to the Deepwater Horizon rig, at least seven new permits for various types of drilling and five environmental waivers have been granted, according to records."

The Times says officials at the Department of the Interior say the moratorium "was not meant to stop permits for new work on existing drilling projects like the Deepwater Horizon." But, adds the Times, "critics say the moratorium has been violated or too narrowly defined to prevent another disaster."

That Deepwater Horizon rig, about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana, blew up on April 20 — killing 11 people and spewing oil and natural gas into the water from a wellhead about one mile below the surface.

Sticking with the Obama administration and its handling of the crisis, there was sharp criticism aimed its way yesterday from former Alaska governor (and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee) Sarah Palin. A major proponent of domestic oil drilling, Palin used one of her regular appearances on the Fox News Channel to argue that it's the Obama team that is too close to the oil industry.

" 'I don't know why the question isn't asked by the mainstream media and by others if there's any connection with the contributions made to President Obama and his administration and the support by the oil companies to the administration,' Palin, a Fox News Channel contributor, said on Fox News Sunday."

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, on CBS-TV's Face the Nation, said Palin must not have been paying attention during the 2008 campaign. "I'm almost sure that the oil companies don't consider the Obama administration a huge ally," Gibbs said.

On Morning Edition, NPR's David Schaper reported about the sharp criticism from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) for the way both BP and the federal government have responded to the disaster. As David says, Jindal was "steaming" yesterday when he blasted the oil company and the feds. "Oil sits and waits for cleanup (while) more of our marsh dies," Jindal said:

Also on Morning Edition, NPR's Yuki Noguchi looked at how hard it's been to pin down BP on just what "legitimate" damage claims it will pay. As Yuki reports:

"BP's assurances to do right by the oil spill's victims sound familiar to Walter Parker, who chaired the Alaska Oil Spill Commission two decades ago, after the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker disaster there.

"Exxon 'made very similar promises,' Parker says. 'Don't worry, we'll take care of everything. And they probably used the word legitimate,' too.

"He says things quickly went sour. Exxon disputed many claims, and the sides spent years in court. So Parker believes Gulf Coast victims will have a fight on their hands."

Finally, USA TODAY this morning looks at this week's "critical phase" in the battle to shut off the leak: "Engineers plan to shoot thick mud into a blown-out underwater well, the latest tactic in an increasingly desperate attempt to contain the disaster."