By Rep. Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD
Submitted exclusively to The Daily Advertiser

On Friday, the President visited the Gulf Coast for the fourth time since the tragic explosion onboard the Deepwater Horizon.  As the President struggles to gain control of the situation, people across Louisiana have rolled up their sleeves to stop the spill, clean up affected wildlife and protect our fragile ecosystems.

This spill is a disaster, but we can overcome it.  Overcoming this challenge requires communication and cooperation between the private sector and all levels of government.  My colleagues in Congress and I continue to press the Administration to step up their coordination, which unfortunately has been lacking.

Ill-conceived decisions made by the President and members of his Administration threaten our way of life, as the moratorium on deep water energy production has led companies to begin moving rigs overseas and eliminating Louisiana jobs.  As our state struggles through this challenge, why isn’t the President working to help Louisiana workers and families?

Originally, the Administration bowed to political pressure and placed a moratorium on all offshore energy production.  This included shallow water oil and gas production, which involves different technologies and safety requirements than deep water production.  I co-authored a letter to Secretary Salazar signed by a bipartisan group of 58 House Members urging the Department of the Interior to lift the detrimental ban on shallow water operations.

While recent decisions allow some shallow water oil and gas production, the Administration’s inconsistency furthers the uncertainty for thousands of Louisiana workers.  The knee-jerk reaction to stop all permitting demonstrates a lack of informed decision-making from the federal authorities – who are supposed to be in charge.

Many of our small towns along the coast depend almost entirely on the energy sector.  According to the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association’s recent analysis, the Administration’s continued moratorium threatens more than 26,000 jobs that normally exist aboard platforms.  Thousands of additional jobs servicing these rigs also hang in the balance including welders, suppliers, caterers and dockworkers. 

Thursday, I sent another letter to President Obama and Secretary Salazar urging them to consider the grave economic impact of the moratorium on the jobs in Louisiana.  In it, I wrote, “At risk are thousands of Louisiana jobs - many of which will never return if the ban remains in place.  Small and large energy companies, banks, energy service companies, drilling operators and hundreds of citizens who know the importance of the industry to Louisiana and the nation’s energy security have expressed their concerns to me.”

In Louisiana, we value the important relationship between the environment and our energy production.  Growing up, some of my favorite memories were made throughout the Louisiana coastal region.  We must ensure our children and grandchildren can enjoy these unique environments for years to come. 

Louisiana supplies the energy to power America, and that will not change.  We need to continue this proud tradition in an environmentally responsible way.  I will continue to work to protect our way of life, which means balancing our environmental, energy and economic needs in a responsible way.

The President must listen to the people of Louisiana who understand the delicate balance between our environment, energy and economy.

Boustany, a heart surgeon, represents Southwest Louisiana in Congress.  He is a member of the House Ways & Means Committee with jurisdiction over tax policy, Medicare and entitlement programs.