Live from the Gulf: Obama’s Oil Spill To-Do List
Rory Cooper /
On June 30, The Heritage Foundation released a list of ten actions President Obama could immediately take to make a positive impact on the increasingly overwhelming Gulf oil spill. Since then, there has been some action on two of the items. The skimmer known as “A-Whale” is finally being tested in the Gulf, despite harsh weather. In fact, when weather was at its worst, the A-Whale was the only ship able to remain offshore, which is a promising sign. We hope the tests continue to prove its value and the ship is deployed as soon as possible. The State Department also announced some foreign assistance, but has yet to give a reason why it’s refusing other offers or why delays continue to hamper efforts.
The Obama administration continues to offer no visible signs that they are taking the oil spill seriously. Just today, their big announcement was that First Lady Michelle Obama would visit the region, soon, in the next couple weeks, maybe mid-July. The attitude of this White House is clear – ‘we don’t care’. To see for ourselves the potential damage of their inattention, we sent a team of energy, environment, homeland security and response experts to the Gulf. Within a few hours of landing in Louisiana, it was evident; the federal government is simply asleep at the switch when it comes to responding to this disaster. Our team was in Baton Rouge getting briefed by the National Guard, talking to officials in St. Bernards and Lafourche parishes, touring Port Fourchon, Grand Isle and more. As we collect information over the next few days, we will share our findings with you on The Foundry. Below are some items we plan to add to President Obama’s Oil Spill To-Do List:
1. End the Oil Drilling Moratorium…Really: Although lifting the moratorium was one of our initials tasks for the White House, it is a priority for those in the Gulf, and needs to be repeated, often. This is their economic way of life, and this was made clear by the Lafourche Port Commission, where 90 percent of the deepwater rigs are serviced. Lafourche has already been forced to cut rental rates 30 percent because of the moratorium and although federal judge Martin L.C. Feldman issued an injunction that would block the White House’s offshore drilling ban, the uncertainty of another ban from the Obama administration is keeping these rigs idle. Worse, four have already left and more could be headed out soon as they actively market their services elsewhere. Lifting the moratorium is causing the Gulf to suffer much more than it has to economically. It’s a priority for them to lift the ban and it needs to be a priority for the administration. The offshore drilling moratorium also means less money is coming into the state; money that would be used for coastal restoration – as written in a Louisiana state constitutional amendment. There is a long-term plan established to restore Louisiana’s coast and build its marshes, but without the revenue received from offshore drilling, it won’t be done. (more…)