Link to Inhofe EPW Press Blog
END THE OBAMA JOBS MORATORIUM, PART 1
As we dig deeper into effects of the Obama jobs moratorium in the Gulf, we continue to find poignant examples of local officials and small businesses dedicated to overturning it. In their own words (see below), they are pleading with President Obama for the simple fact that their livelihoods are hanging in the balance. The
website of the "Gulf Economic Survival Team," an ad hoc group formed by Louisiana's Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle, shows an impressive array of local opposition-which should be getting attention in the White House. But these voice are being ignored, as the Obama Gulf energy freeze continues to drive US energy producers overseas-and jobs and economic activity along with them.
As the
Houston Chronicle reported yesterday, "Baker Hughes, a Houston-based international oil-field services company, has moved 300 of its 2,100 Gulf employees overseas and is moving 25 percent of its assets." Their CEO, Chad Deaton, went on to suggest that if the Administration doesn't improve regulatory certainty in the Gulf that they could also move their research and development operations to Brazil or Singapore, places with a climate more suitable for investment.
Here are some examples of what local residents are saying about the moratorium:
Harvey Canal Industrial Association: "Be sure to understand that the members we represent will never under estimate the tragedy that was the Horizon nor will we ever forget the loss of the eleven crew members. But we cannot allow that tragedy to lend itself to yet a greater tragedy that will, with no exaggeration, destroy more of our beautiful state than the oil that now inhabits our coast."
South Louisiana Economic Council: "Our people have pioneered the technologies that have made deepwater drilling possible and the fate of deepwater drilling and our economy are the same. The recommendation to suspend activity in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, will deal a second blow to an economy already struggling to deal with the affects of the spill. Whether termed
a pause in deepwater drilling or
the death of a nation-leading economy, the results are the same."
Michel Claudet, President, Terrebonne Parish: "The effects of a prolonged drilling moratorium will have lasting effects on the way of life for thousands of hard working residents whose lives will be disrupted through no fault of their own."
St. Mary Industrial Group: "The Board of Directors, along with the full membership of SMIG, implores you to lift the ill conceived drilling ban that has been put in place over the Gulf of Mexico. While we are fully aware of the environmental consequences that are occurring on OUR shores, we also recognize that our economy should not be eviscerated by an executive order that will do nothing more than force layoffs of hundreds, if not thousands, of beleaguered Gulf Coast residents. While your announcement of a drilling moratorium may have won you fleeting praise from Pollyannaish environmentalists, here in the heart of the spill, it has had the immediate effect of crushing the very hope of surviving this disaster and providing a livelihood to do so."
Offshore Marine Services Association: "We must stress to you that what harms the vessel sector harms the coastal communities. Our estimates indicate that for every mariner who works on-board a vessel, there are nine other Americans working in shore-side jobs that support vessel operations. Beyond the vessel crew, the negative consequences of the moratorium would impact everyone from technicians servicing diesel engines and air conditioning systems to the local grocer who supplies food for the boat's galley, the factory worker assembling boat engines in the Midwest and the Texas car dealer supplying Detroit-built trucks to the vessel owner."
Kevin Davis, President, St. Tammany Parish: "As President of St. Tammany Parish, I strongly urge you to remove the moratorium on deepwater drilling now. The effects of this moratorium on local, state, and regional economies cannot be ignored but they can be reduced if action is taken now...The effects of the moratorium will undoubtedly be felt for many years to come and will eventually reach every industry in some way. Local governments will also suffer from decreased tax revenues as the need and demand for government services continues to rise. The resilience of Louisianans will be unmercifully tested as we struggle to recover."
