Rig disaster does not change Obama commitment

Times:

President Obama’s decision to open up oil drilling off the US coast was defended by the White House yesterday, despite the disaster in which an rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico this week.

With hopes fading for 11 oil rig workers still missing after the explosion, the US Coast Guard said that there was no oil leaking from a well opening on the ocean floor, as had initially been believed, easing fears of an environmental catastrophe.

The Deepwater Horizon rig burnt for two days after Tuesday’s explosion before sinking on Thursday morning, leaving a one mile by five mile slick on the water’s surface, a mass of oil that could still threaten Louisiana’s fragile eco-system — already stressed by hurricanes and coastal erosion.

The disaster comes only three weeks after Mr Obama announced the opening of much of the eastern American coast, from Delaware down to Florida, to offshore drilling.

Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama’s White House spokesman, told reporters that the accident didn’t change Mr Obama’s commitment to offshore drilling and exploration. “I don’t think it opens up a new series of questions” on the process, Mr Gibbs said, predicting that it “won’t be the last time” there’s a spill.

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When you consider the magnitude of the disaster, the recovery has been remarkable. It demonstrates a commitment to safety and the environment on the part of the operators and the companies doing the exploration.