NEW ORLEANS - less than a year ago, States and coastal towns fight saw economic rescue crude oil exploration off the Gulf Coast and Atlantic seaboard.
But the backlash from the BP oil spill - most recently to open the Obama - management decision this week, some of the area near new drilling has people, the is wondering if industry ever again in U.S. waters will thrive.
Some fear an exodus from oil platforms looking overseas friendly waters. And with each passing day, people who leave the damage is multiplication on deepwater drilling, say a ripple affect blue collar main street, right on the beach create drives. You warn it only get worse.
Lori Davis, owner of the rig Chem, a Houma, Louisiana, company, chemicals, oil companies "Deepwater was future," said sold. If it is less new exploratory drilling, each of industry suppliers, medical practices that treat oil field workers have less business.
Davis has already cut consultants, reduces a profit-sharing plan for workers and left a recent vacancies unfilled. "Today we have to rethink that because we have an administration, the clueless, not interested in the support of oil and gas," she said.
President Barack Obama's latest move maintain a drilling ban in both in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast is a reversal of his promise to do just the opposite three weeks before the disaster. And it shows that more than seven months after the deepwater horizon rig explosion killed 11 men and led spew undersea well to some 200 million gallons of BP's oil, the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. is still very much shaping national oil policy history.
After the April overflow the Government allowed placed a moratorium on the issuance of new deep water drilling in the Gulf. The moratorium was lifted October 12, but industry watchers say it remains effective. In the nearly eight weeks since the ban was lifted, the Government has granted only permission would allow recovery of all previously suspended drilling activity.
Manage secured before the great extension of offshore drilling, partially support for comprehensive climate legislation in Congress, one of the Obama's top legislative objectives to win. But is the President with Bill now much too politically say off the table, no to powerful oil interests, particularly in the tourism-conscious Florida win, should be a crucial swing state in the election campaign by 2012.
Many other tourism-controlled cities are also easy to win because of the perception of a pristine Ocean.
Questions, Marsha Henson Tybee Iceland, GA., and you will tell you Obama's decision brings her a sense of relief. You co-owner of sea kayak Georgia, is the offshore tours and paddling lessons for thousands of tourists to Georgia 100 miles of Atlantic coast every year returns.
"Of course he (Obama) hear the current feelings as we never see in this life is a cure of what happened in the Gulf", said Henson, whose business after the BP overflow due to more tourists come oil-free coastal Georgia rather than risk, ruined your trips of contaminated Gulf beaches picked up.
Maryland said Marie-Noëlle Sayan, owner of the 22 rooms King Charles Hotel in Ocean City, MD., grateful was.
"If we the whole city out of business could put offshore drilling, one, just one accident because the city is completely driven by tourism," said Sayan.
Wednesday vice versa Obama managing a March plan officials the potential for drilling of Delaware to Central Florida, plus the northern waters of Alaska explore authorized would have. The new approach allows drilling in Alaska, but officials said you gently move before approving all leases. Instead, the focus will be on areas with active leases which is largely in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico and in a limited area of Alaska.
So far, rigs are not leaving the golf en masse, but industry officials fear you are.
ODS Petrodata that follows the market for oil and gas producers there after 36 floating rigs in the Gulf on Thursday, one more, as it the day before the explosion on board the BP leased deepwater horizon. However, the company said that only six of which implementation were rig operations Thursday – basically maintenance work, not explorative drilling.
Contracts be way work and lack a decline could because of the way. Due to a lack of deep sea drilling some oil and gas companies have tried failed to get leasing contracts but with rig owner signed before the moratorium. Other companies have slowed to keep the beat by negotiating lower rates with rig owner in the Gulf on a standby basis but which lowers the rig owner revenue because you're drilling higher lease prices command at the rigs. Some of the platforms were also a number of rigs in the Gulf of BP well directed blowout and those offset the themselves.
"The Government hates it, but it is true, there is a de facto moratorium in place," said ODS-Petrodata's Julian Gunther.
The Interior Department managed it simply is, operators with strict new rules of rig face the authorisations.
Chevron and Exxon Mobil both criticized the recent decision by the Obama administration. Technology professionals LLC Houma, Louisiana, a company that sells and services computers and working with oil companies, has had a lot projects put on hold or delayed owners who said Jason Bergeron. "At some point, we all are bound to the field." Even the doctors offices, with whom we cooperate, have seen a downturn, "Bergeron said."
He has already released some employees and can dismiss said Todd Hornbeck, CEO of Covington, Louisiana-based Hornbeck offshore services, ships and other services for the offshore industry, on Thursday, more. Offer concrete numbers while he wouldn't he said that he likely to check out how deploying assets in friendly waters will have overseas. He said half of his 85 ships are idle.
"Everyone is scared," said Hornbeck.
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Associated press writer Alex Dominguez in Baltimore, Russ Bynum in Savannah, GA., and Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report.
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