Salazar says working hard to finalize drilling ban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said on Wednesday he is working very hard to finalize a new offshore drilling moratorium after a federal court struck down the administration's initial six-month drilling ban,

"We are working very hard," Salazar said as he was leaving for a short break during a congressional hearing when he was asked by Reuters if the new drilling moratorium would be issued this week. He would not say when it would be issued.

Separately, Michael Bromwich, the new head of the U.S. agency that oversees offshore drilling, told lawmakers that a record of "bad performance, deadly performance" by an oil company should be considered "a relevant factor" for the government when it decides if that company should be awarded future drilling leases. Bromwich did not specifically mention BP in his comments.

(Reporting by Tom Doggett)