An assault on our shores: an editorial

An assault on our shores: an editorial

In a speech he gave from the Oval Office Tuesday night President Barack Obama described the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico as a catastrophe "that is assaulting our shores and our citizens." He eloquently described Louisiana residents' "wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost," and he was forceful when he proclaimed, "I refuse to let that happen."

He said the Gulf Coast could be cleaning up oil for years. "But make no mistake," he said, "we will fight this spill with everything we've got for as long as it takes. We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused. And we will do whatever's necessary to help the Gulf Coast and its people recover from this tragedy."

We plan to hold the president to his word. Our state and region are counting on the president to follow through. We also want him to understand that his most decisive response to the oil spill -- a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling -- threatens to capsize our already struggling economy. We want specifics about what his administration plans to do to help sustain the economy in the meantime, and we want specifics about his plans for restoring "the unique beauty and bounty of this region." He said a "Gulf Coast Restoration Plan" will be developed soon, but what is that exactly? And how soon will we see it activated?


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We hope that goal doesn't stop the president from recognizing that Louisiana helps power the nation right now and has an industry worth preserving. He created a special commission to find out what caused the Deepwater Horizon rig to explode and leak, but he has weighted the commission with experts who appear more qualified to address the oil spill's damaging effects.

Frances Beinecke, president of the National Resources Defense Council, was named to the commission after telling the New York Times that the commission should determine "whether, when, where and under what circumstances new offshore drilling operations should be allowed." That statement frightens Louisianians who don't want debates about whether drilling should resume but assurances that it will safely resume -- and soon.

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The president said he understands that his moratorium "creates difficulty" for us, but he wasn't very convincing. He's right when he says the oil is producing anxiety that we'll lose our way of life but seems unaware that his moratorium does the same thing.