Lets test your memory of the BP Oil Spill and Explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 that killed 11 rig workers and damaged the environment. Do you remember Scalise and other republicans in the state who opposed President Obama's moratorium on drilling in the Gulf until after the federal government completed its investigation and said the moratorium would trigger a mass exodus of drilling rigs from the Gulf and do great damage to Louisiana? The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources-Office of Conservation keeps the official records of Louisiana's offshore drilling and its data source is the Baker-Hughes rig count whose report is considered the "bible" of the oil industry activity nationwide. The report list the following information on the annual average number of offshore drilling rigs working in federal waters offshore Louisiana. Lets examine the results.
The Louisiana offshore working rig count in federal waters during the Trump administration's four years averaged 17.7 rigs working annually. During President Obama's last four years in office the working rig count averaged 38 rigs working annually. And if you look at President Obama's first four years in office, the working rig count averaged 33 rigs working annually. Those four years include the year of the BP explosion and the moratorium.
Those official numbers support the conclusion there was no exodus of offshore drilling rigs on President Obama's watch and that the offshore drilling rig count was steady on the President's watch averaging 33 working rigs in his first term and 38 working rigs in his second term. The opposite took place on Trump and the republican watch during their four years where the average yearly number of offshore working rigs was 17.7 rigs. It appears the exodus took place on Trump's watch. The dis-information, mis-information, falsehoods and lies by Scalise and his party concerning the moratorium was typical of the republicans because they lack the ability to govern in a democracy.
The numbers also support the conclusions of this writers past commentaries in Politidose, including the most recent dated 7/4/21 that Louisiana, its people and the oil industry enjoy their most productive years during democratic administrations. The GOP sucks when it comes to governing. Their total political portfolio is one of lies and division.
Louisiana and its people can say they were fortunate to have a democratic administration in power at the time of the tragic BP explosion that held BP accountable for the loss of life and the tremendous damage inflicted on the environment. So now the country and Louisiana has a new democratic leader in President Joe Biden and this writer is confident that Louisiana and its people and especially its workers will see better times economically and will move forward for a better future.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
Note 1: See past commentary dated 7/22/11 titled, Drilling Offshore Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico: Facts and nothing but the facts.
Note 2: The highest annual offshore Louisiana drilling rig count in the last 40 years took place on President Clinton's watch with an average of 90 rigs working. The lowest took place on President Trump's watch with an average of 17.7 rigs working.
