BP's Liberty project on track, but with new rules

National media is just starting to dig into a new drilling project in Alaska that BP hopes to bring online by the fall. Dubbed Liberty, the drilling operation will allow BP to tap a large offshore reservoir in the Beaufort Sea. But as Alaska Dispatch reported more than three weeks ago, the project is unaffected by President Obama's moratorium on deep water drilling and its imposed delay on new offshore drilling in the Arctic.

The reason? Liberty's wellhead is located on an existing drill site which is technically offshore, but considered onshore because it's an acreage of manmade gravel islands that can be accessed from the mainland via vehicle. BP will use ultra extended reach drilling to drive two miles down, then six miles out, to reach the oil prospect. Both the wellhead and the reservoir are located in shallow water.

Yet Liberty will have to adhere to tighter safety regulations before its drill bits can drive down through the earth, according to a story published Thursday by Bloomberg.com, which details the steps BP will have to go through before getting the go-ahead to drill. The report also notes "Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a hearing of the Senate Energy Committee today that he has asked for a review of the Alaska project."