Senator Landrieu's decision to put a hold on President Obama's Jack Lew as the head of the Office of Management and Budget has seared the good over all record of the Senator. The hold was in response to the complaint by the Oil Industry that it can't get clear cut explanations on what is required for them to resume drilling operations. The moratorium has been lifted over a month ago but the Senator and oil operators are still not satisfied because they think the industry should be able to do what they want.
The hold was put on Mr. Lew even though he had nothing to do with the BP spill or the moratorium. In other words those elected officials who are beholden to the oil and gas industry will use any excuse to promote the same industry who do not have the capacity to plug an offshore spill timely or remove the spilled oil from the waters of the Gulf timely before that oil reaches shore and by their own recent statements admitted they would not have the system to do so for another 18 months. The oil lobby and their money talks. In other words if another spill takes place in the Gulf before the next 18 months, another BP situation will take place.
Senator Landrieu finally lifted the hold on November 18 according to an article in the Times Picayune. The moratorium was necessary, the hold on Mr. Lew was not. The Senator used the excuse of putting Louisiana rig workers back to work but that does not wash. If that was her interest she should have fought for BP and the oil industry to take care of those workers while the moratorium was in place. Elected officials seem to have forgotten the 11 workers killed in the BP explosion which as of this writing no one has taken responsibility for. President Obama has not forgotten. Elected officials who continue to take contributions from the oil industry and continue to do the bidding of the industry have no creditability on the BP spill in particular and the oil industry in general.
Senator Landrieu's position to use 80% of the BP fines for coastal restoration is another sham. As the Senator well knows, most of the coastal erosion, loss of wetlands and marsh in Louisiana is the result of over 50 years of drilling and production in Louisiana and offshore and the oil industry in general should pay for the damage they done, not BP fines. Louisiana's elected officials, both state and in congress have been silent all the years the oil industry has wrecked havoc on the environment. Former governor Dave Treen had the answer to the problem. It was called CWEL which was the subject of several commentaries in politidose. But elected officials don't even want to mention the word CWEL. It may get the oil industry's dander up.
It takes leadership, character and courage to stand up and be counted when the need arises, President Obama showed his with the moratorium that will make future offshore drilling safer because of the new regulations. The families of the 11 rig workers who lost their lives need to know some one actually cares.
