Drilling in Gulf Must Continue

 
When an individual has spent 20 years as a newspaper editor, he will have written hundreds of editorials, some which almost wrote themselves and others which came to light only after a struggle.  Since the two mining disasters, one in a coal mine and one on an oil platform, I have written several articles but have posted none here because the situation keeps changing and outdates what I have written.  One thing that remains unchanged is a call for prayers for the families of those who lost their lives.  They seem to have been forgotten in the turmoil over the environmental  damage.  

Mining, whether for coal, oil or minerals, has always been a dangerous occupation, but safety continues to improve and we learn from each disaster. The nation cannot stop mining coal and it cannot stop drilling for oil. Offshore drilling  is not new; the first ever done was in l911 in Caddo Lake near Shreveport. Deep sea drilling has been carried on for years and will be continued no matter what the United States allows. Fully 33 per cent of our domestic oil production comes from the gulf and 80 per cent of gulf oil and 45 per cent of gulf natural gas comes from water more than l,000 feet deep.  President Obama has taken advantage of  the oil spill to place a moratorium on production and drilling in the gulf.  This will result in the loss of thousands of jobs and possible bankruptcy for oil field companies.  This is at best a stupid move and must be changed. This country needs to become self-sufficient in energy for the economy and for national security.  A slowdown in domestic production will mean more money leaving the country to buy foreign oil..  Realize that every tanker is a potential oil spill, and we have learned that this administration has no plan to deal with oil spills.