Oil industry lashes out at drilling ban, demands right to pollute

[charlesg]

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/28/news/companies/BP_safety_review/?postversion=2010052921

Oil industry lashes out at drilling ban
By Ben Rooney, staff reporter
May 29, 2010

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The government ban on deep water oil drilling could stifle economic activity and lead to job losses and higher energy prices, an industry group said Friday.

"An extended moratorium on safely producing our oil and natural gas resources from the Gulf of Mexico would create a moratorium on economic growth and job creation," said Jack Gerard, president of the American Petroleum Institute, the main U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry.

On Thursday, President Obama announced a six-month moratorium in response to the Gulf oil disaster, which is considered the worst spill in the nation's history.

The ban, Gerard said, will hurt growth "by undercutting our nation's access to affordable, reliable, domestic sources of oil and natural gas."

The government instituted a freeze on offshore drilling activities in April after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico. The disaster uncapped a well nearly a mile below the surface and caused a massive oil spill, which has already devastated parts of the Louisiana coastline...

[marmar]

1. These pigs are absolutely unreal......

Nationalize the industry. Take away the trough......

[neverforget]

2. Well maybe if the industry were responsible stewards of the environment

they wouldn't be in this position. That and the government put the regulators back in the regulations.

[polichick]

3. They're shameless! nt

[HughMoran]

4. He used the word "safely"!

You can't just say that any more - we've had that big accident now - you may want to lower your profit outlook for the next forever, it's going to cost more to get that black gold from now on.

[goforit]

5. ARRRRogant to the max!!!

[rhett o rick]

6. Is the ban on just new drilling, or does it include existing drilling? nm

[undeterred]

7. They are incapable of taking the long view on anything.

[Scuba]

8. Somebody tell this shill there is no moratorium on "safely" drilling.