When Is Obama Coming To Louisiana To Explain His Oil Moratorium (Oval Office Speech)

As I noted last night I was not excited at all about the Presidents Oval Office Speech. Here is the full text.

You know, for generations, men and women who call this region home have made their living from the water. That living is now in jeopardy. I’ve talked to shrimpers and fishermen who don’t know how they’re going to support their families this year. I’ve seen empty docks and restaurants with fewer customers -– even in areas where the beaches are not yet affected. I’ve talked to owners of shops and hotels who wonder when the tourists might start coming back. The sadness and the anger they feel is not just about the money they’ve lost. It’s about a wrenching anxiety that their way of life may be lost.

I refuse to let that happen. Tomorrow, I will meet with the chairman of BP and inform him that he is to set aside whatever resources are required to compensate the workers and business owners who have been harmed as a result of his company’s recklessness. And this fund will not be controlled by BP. In order to ensure that all legitimate claims are paid out in a fair and timely manner, the account must and will be administered by an independent third party.

Ok who is missing off that list of workers and business folks?

Beyond compensating the people of the Gulf in the short term, it’s also clear we need a long-term plan to restore the unique beauty and bounty of this region. The oil spill represents just the latest blow to a place that’s already suffered multiple economic disasters and decades of environmental degradation that has led to disappearing wetlands and habitats. And the region still hasn’t recovered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. That’s why we must make a commitment to the Gulf Coast that goes beyond responding to the crisis of the moment.

Does this mean the big issue!! Coastal erosion!! The Dead Zone? Who knows Why doesn't he say it.

And so I’ve established a National Commission to understand the causes of this disaster and offer recommendations on what additional safety and environmental standards we need to put in place. Already, I’ve issued a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling. I know this creates difficulty for the people who work on these rigs, but for the sake of their safety, and for the sake of the entire region, we need to know the facts before we allow deepwater drilling to continue. And while I urge the Commission to complete its work as quickly as possible, I expect them to do that work thoroughly and impartially.

Understatement of the year!!

Now it appears on the whole there seems to be a large bipartisan reaction from the very right to the very left this speech and "plan" as it was laid out was not good.

However what about the Oil Industry? One of out of every three jobs I have reads in Coastal Louisiana is related to the oil industry. Shutting this down is a tad more of just a mere "difficulty" to people who work on the rigs. In fact most people affected do not work on rigs at all!!

It does seem to me that if we are to take this drastic step the President needs to go to places like Houma, Morgan City, and Lafayette and explain all this in more detail. We need to have a REAL town hall meeting as to the impact of this on the Louisiana economy and long term future.

While it might be politically pleasing to just talk about fishermen (and my gosh they are being hurt) there are other real workers in the oil and natural gas industry and those that service it that cannot be ignored.

When one hears Govt Commission I suspect many fears that their work will not be finished in just 6 months. Then what. Does the moratorium just keep extending?

So while I am pleased the President is visiting the beaches of and marshlands of Louisiana at some point he has to got to engage the vast amount of people affected by this decision.