Planting the Garden of Life
June 30, 2010
Nuemen Henry
July 2, 2010
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is set to hear arguments against a judge’s ruling against President Barack Obama’s six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and oil spill; however, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu marvels at the administration’s continued misunderstanding of the importance of oil to Louisiana’s economy.
Landrieu has been stumping Capitol Hill colleagues, stressing the need for safety and responsibility in drilling, while stressing that any action “not jeopardize and threaten the very vibrant and flowing industry that has been so prosperous to not only Louisiana, but to the nation, for decades, by calling for a blanket moratorium.”
With murmurs of a second moratorium in Washington, D.C., Landrieu and other local officials fear U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman’s decision to end the proposed freeze on deepwater drilling will not stand.
The Obama administration initially argued the moratorium would provide time to inspect deepwater drilling rigs and develop stiffer rules to ensure workers’ safety.
But Landrieu – and most Louisiana officials – questions the timeline.
“Frankly, these inspections could be done in a matter of days by deploying SWAT teams, if you will, to each rig. After all, there are only 33 rigs in question here,” she said. “I have communicated with President Obama and Secretary [Ken] Salazar that the moratorium will have more of a negative impact on Louisiana than the spill itself.”
According to Landrieu, modifications to Obama’s initial moratorium have essentially created a drilling freeze, paralyzing any new drilling across the Gulf of Mexico.
The senator said 3,387 shallow-water production platforms are operating in the Gulf in 500 feet or less depths; 25 exploratory shallow water rigs have been stopped from exploring because of permit issues; and 33 deepwater production platforms situated at 5,000-plus depths. According to Landrieu, the 33 rigs initially covered by Obama’s moratorium are losing approximately $500,000 daily as they sit idle.
“Again, we don’t think it takes six months or even a year, especially with today’s technology, to inspect these rigs and see what’s wrong,” Landrieu said. “It did not seem like [the moratorium] was carefully considered, like there was great care and thought to the process.
“I strongly object to the way it was done.”
Landrieu said any moratorium on U.S. drilling will ultimately increase the nation’s reliance on foreign oil. “It also ignores work … over 2,200 projects that have been completed in the Gulf safely and efficiently,” she explained. “A moratorium makes no sense at all.
“There is a path forward,” the senator added. “But there are also 66 senators we need to convince.”
