Oil production can produce its problems

It was a tragic accident that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico last week, killing 11 men when an offshore oil rig blew up 50 miles south of Venice.

It was the second oil rig disaster in the Gulf since 1976 when a rig capsized in rough seas.

This accident came only a month after President Barack Obama announced an expansion of offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf and along the mid-Atlantic coast. According to spokesmen, those plans will be continued.

Undoubtedly, this will add fuel to the fire of those who have actively opposed offshore drilling. But our history shows few such accdents in the past and undoubtedly many precautions will be used in the future to avoid its repetition.

Search for the bodies of the victims was discontinued after several days of failure subject to restart if any hopes of recovery arose.

Efforts have become concentrated on preventing the spread of oil spilling from the well endangering fisheries along the coast.

The brown shrimp season begins in May and crabbing season is getting started.  An extensive oil spill could damage our fishing industry extensively.

Louisiana has been fortunate in the fact that few such threatening spills have occurred in the past. It is a tribute to the offshore industry that has worked to prevent them.

The mining of anything – – oil, coal, etc. – – has its dangers but we believe the oil industry has done its best to protect the people who work in it and the environment at least in recent years after the inherent dangers were recognized. In the early days of drilling, canals were dug and many wells were drilled in areas that gave us great problems in keeping a healthy wetlands that supported our wildlife and fisheries.

When we consider the great role that oil and gas have played in providing for the needs of our people in the past and will continue to do so in the future, we undoubtedly need to continue drilling for it.

Even our President who has a great number of supporters who oppose it agrees.

Hopefully the efforts now underway in the Gulf will contain the leakage and we will receive lessons from them that will help us avoid such a happening in the future.