In October 2010, the Obama administration lifted its five-month ban on deepwater drilling in the US Gulf of Mexico following BP's disastrous oil spill. Three years later, global oil companies are flocking back to the deepest waters of the Gulf, snatching up oil leases and drilling permits at a record level. Even as it remains caught in endless litigation resulting from the 2010 spill, BP is still the second-most active oil company behind Royal Dutch Shell in gaining permits to drill new wells in the Gulf. BP has won seven permits this year, in addition to the 10 it was issued in 2012. Despite the renewed activity, oil production in the Gulf is about 30% below the highs reached in 2009, according to data from the Department of Energy.