The White House responded Thursday to concerns that the ban on drilling for oil in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico will cost the region thousands of jobs.
“The six month moratorium on deepwater drilling was instituted for a clear reason,” White House spokesman Ben LaBolt told CNN. “The President believes we must ensure that the BP Deepwater Horizon spill is never repeated.”
But Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal said that prohibiting deepwater drilling could cost the state up to 6,000 jobs this month, and 10,000 jobs over the next few months, in a letter sent Wednesday to president Obama.
If the ban continues for an “extended period,” Jindal said, the state could lose up to 20,000 existing and new jobs by next year.
Full story: Debate over drilling jobs in the Gulf heats up – Jun. 3, 2010