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The Obama administration is lifting a moratorium on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, officials said Tuesday.

The Interior Department scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference in which Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is to "discuss the current suspensions on deepwater drilling," the Interior Department said.

Congressional officials told The Associated Press that Salazar planned to lift the moratorium, on the condition that companies would first have to meet a a host of new safety regulations. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak ahead of the official announcement.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said earlier Tuesday that the government is close to having the plans in place to lift the ban that was imposed after the massive Gulf oil spill.

When asked if he was saying the ban will be lifted this week, Gibbs said: "I do."

He emphasized that the move would include new requirements for those seeking to drill exploratory wells. Those entities and the companies they represent will have to prove they have the appropriate steps in place to contain a worst-case scenario.

The administration has already imposed new rules to make offshore drilling safer. The moratorium is set to expire Nov. 30.