End the drilling moratorium
By Rolfe McCollister, Tuesday, June 15, 2010Is the cure worse than the disease? Well, that is what some are asking about the deepwater drilling moratorium ordered by the president and his secretary of the interior. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has shut down fishing and shrimping in Louisiana, creating an environmental and economic disaster—and now the moratorium threatens to put those in the oil and gas business out of work, too.
In a letter last week, experts brought in to advise Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said, “A blanket moratorium is not the answer. It will not measurably reduce risk further and it will have a lasting impact on the nation’s economy which may be greater than that of the oil spill. We do not believe punishing the innocent is the right thing to do.”
On June 2, Gov. Bobby Jindal sent a letter to President Barack Obama saying, “I fully understand the need for strict oversight of deepwater drilling. However, I would ask that the federal government move quickly to ensure that all deepwater drilling is in proper compliance with federal regulation and is conducted safely so that energy production and more importantly, thousands of jobs, are not in limbo.”
Currently, the gulf is home to 33% of the world’s deepwater rigs. Already, one firm has announced the suspension of drilling three wells and will move its rig. The job losses for an extended moratorium would be immense.
Another issue that has taken center stage due to this crisis is the long-term solution to protecting our coast and marshlands. Right now, the oil is a federal resource, but Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states bear 100% of the risk. It’s not fair. Sen. Mary Landrieu has introduced legislation, the RESPOND Act, whereby funds from new leases off Louisiana’s coast would be shared immediately, as opposed to 2017, per the current law. I think the nation is now aware of our fragile coastline and marshes and pray citizens and officials in every state will support this legislation.
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