"BP won approval from the Interior Department to drill its first exploratory oil well in the Gulf of Mexico since the blowout of its Macondo well a year and a half ago touched off the country's worst offshore environmental disaster."

"The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said that BP met more stringent safety requirements devised by the federal government in the aftermath of the disaster. The company also planned to follow even tougher voluntary standards that exceeded the government's rules.

'This permit was approved only after thorough well design, blowout preventer and containment capability reviews,' said bureau director Michael R. Bromwich.

At more than 6,000 feet, the proposed well would be in deeper water than the Macondo well. It is part of the company's Kaskida prospect located in an area called the Keathley Canyon about 250 miles south of Lafayette, La. The company submitted the application to drill in January."

Neela Banerjee reports for McClatchy Tribune Newswire October 26, 2011. [2]