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Mary Landrieu: Safe Offshore Drilling Is Key for Our Energy Future

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Of course the moratorium is necessary.
We can not trust a single approval that has come from the former MMS, and every offshore well is a ticking time bomb, no better than domestic terrorism.
we don't have to tolerate the boom/bust oil drilling mentality, especially as we find out most these offshore rigs are foreign companies carpetbagging with all the profits and leaving the place a sticking disaster after they're done. Its not American oil they are drilling for in the Gulf - its British profits and British oil delivered to international markets.
I don't have problem with drilling for oil, just foreign companies who want to do it on the cheap shortcutting every thing possible. Oil drilling can be done right - Norway is proof, and Norway has the highest standard of living in the world because of it. Other countries get rich off off their oil, while the Gulf Coast (maybe supplies the cheap roughneck labor) is as close to 3rd world America.
The Gulf is not sharing in the booty of all the oil pulled from their shores so why would we want to let them c0ome take our resources without the least bit of precautions. BP has proved they were completey unprepared by fraudulently got license to drill by dishonesty and corruption.
Its all too apparent these foreign oil companies have bought off politicians, judges and regulatory agencies that we now know that its been a free-for-all to be able to pillage American resources for foreign companies.
Til we get to the bottom of the extent of corruption in the oil drilling business the moratorium is absolutely necessary.

Jimbo Timar of KY 9:48PM June 24, 2010

I work for big oil. I've been in drilling for almost 30 years. I've lived on and worked in the GOM. I am angry with BP for making several questionable operational decisions that led to this tragic event that killed 11 people, is polluting the Gulf and has changed for the worse, in some cases much worse, the lives of all Americans. I am equally angry about BP's PR effort after the tragedy. They continue to deny the basic cause of this event: a bad decision to use a poor well design. Tony Hayword said that the odds of such an "accident" happening were 1-in-100,000 to 1-in-1,000,000. In reality, with this design, the odds were more like 1-in-10 to 1-in-100.
All drilling involves risk. All human activity involves risks. We are all risk managers. BP did a poor job at risk management.
I am usually critical of Congress, but Rep. Waxman's and Stupak's letter from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to Tony Hayward dated June 14, 2010 is excellent (the hearing not so much). They list 5 causes for the disaster. All were bad choices BP made. Number 1 was the well design. This letter identifies mistakes BP made and that they should have reported to the American people on around Day 10. There is no mystery except, "Why?"
Operators not using BP's design or procedures should not be shut-down. Consider: a relief well is the only way to stop this flow. BP is currently drilling 3 of them in the same deep-water environment. If we are willing to allow BP to continue drilling, albeit out of necessity, why the necessity to shut down all operators?
Change the design requirements. Change some blowout preventer rules on certification, maintenance, testing and record keeping. Change temporary abandonment barrier test procedures. Review and revise all current drilling plans accordingly. The deep-water drilling moratorium is much pain for very little gain. BP’s bad risk management need not be followed by a government display of the same. Unfortunetely, the damage of this moratorium will not be limited to big oil.

Jeff of CO 6:38PM June 18, 2010

I remember when the Oklahoma City Federal Building blew up - Came at a perfect time for the Clinton Administration. The right was gaining power and militias were popping up everywhere. Then....poof!... from a truckload of fertilizer parked in the street.
Those "weapons of mass destruction" disappeared once we got into Iraq. Guess they weren't needed once we invaded.
Our Green - Socialist prez grabs a little conservative cred by saying that he'll consider expanding offshore drilling. 2 weeks later there is the worse oil platform accident in history - allowing B'HO the cover to crawfish with righteous indignation and then slam his green agenda down our throats - at the same time re-energizing the faltering Global Warming - Environmentalist agenda. What a stroke of luck for the Greenies.
Amazing how that all worked out...

R.L. Schaefer of CA 7:01PM June 08, 2010

I voted gainst more oil drilling. Safety should be thye first consideration, and protecting the natural beauty of the coastline and wetlands. I supspect what BP and other Big Oil Companies are prioritizing is protecting their bottom line. Maximumization of profits should be tertiary at best. We should be concentrating on wind, solar, geothermal. even nuclear. Let's consider looking into the safety at Atlantis, an even deeper well. Clean up the mess before we consider any more drilling.

Jack Golding of KS 4:16PM June 07, 2010

keep drilling offshore also in alaska and keep these coal mines open, this is our way out being dependent on foreign oil, also use nuclear power plants.

Norman T Brien of RI 4:10PM June 07, 2010

Should be expanded all over the planet. The BP incident is no reason to stop the harvesting in the sea. We have now learned what not to do and we have the technology to prevent a recurrance. Scare tactics are only being leveled to reduce supply, drive up prices so alternative sources can be expanded. Open all markets and let everyone compete for the supply of energy on a non regulated (except for safety and environmental security prevention measures) playing field.
Coal should not be banned or overregulated as it it the most economical method to produce electrical power.

Ron Straub of KY 3:49PM June 07, 2010

wE MUST MOVE FORWARD AND DRILL. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE OIL COMPANIES WANTED TO DRILL CLOSER IN WHERE IT IS NOT A MILE DOWN. CUT THIS BARRIER AND LET THEM DRILL CLOSER IN.
BY BUYING OIL FROM THE NEAR EAST WE ARE SUPPORTING TERRORISM.

DAVE FROM GA of GA 3:04PM June 07, 2010

OK Guys: So we don't drill offshore. So we're running out of oil.So park your cars and get a horse. Any other bright ideas? PS: If you don't like the message, shoot the messenger.

Hayden Glenn of AL 7:39PM June 06, 2010

Mary Landrieu has been promoting oil drilling for years. We've been told repeatedly, by Senator Landrieu as well as the Republican "Drill Baby Drill" crowd, that the reason we should continue drilling here, there and everywhere is that "new advances in drilling" have made drilling SO MUCH SAFER than it used to be.
Well, a lot of good that did us, right?
So now it's going to be the exact same message but with the caveat "now it really IS safe"???
And we're supposed to trust you?!?!?!
Give me a break.
It's easy, folks. If you are concerned about the impacts of drilling for oil on the environment and the potential for catastrophe -- as you SHOULD be -- then simply DON'T VOTE for ANYONE who supports oil drilling. It's in OUR hands to change the way the oil industry does business. So we have to vote for people who will hold them responsible while seeking alternatives like renewable energy and energy efficiency and MORE MANUFACTURING JOBS in those new fields.

Ethan of NY 5:47PM June 04, 2010

Senator Mary Landrieu has been in the pockets of Big Insurance, Wall Street and Big Oil. She has sold out her State and the American people to enrich her personal being and needs to resign from office in order that her State along with America can have a Senator that works for the people and not corporate America. When a state elects a person to be a Senator of the state, they not only make decisions for their state, but also affects what happens to all Americans of this nation since it takes a majority of senators to pass bills.

bob of IL 4:41PM June 04, 2010