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Obama Pressured to Halt Offshore Drilling as Oil Spill Hits

Urgent citizen cleanup effort launched in Louisiana

By Terry Winckler

This page was published 13 years ago. Find the latest on Earthjustice’s work.

April 30, 2010

By Monday, Florida’s panhandle and western beaches will be seeing the same oil spill assault that Louisiana is now enduring, authorities say. Florida officials are concerned that it may cripple its $65 billion tourism economy, environment and fishing industry.>

Louisiana’s $3 billion fishing industry jeopardized by oil spill, reports Wall Street Journal.>

President Obama said he is putting on hold plans to resume offshore drilling until a full investigation of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been conducted.>

As oil from the Gulf of Mexico spill moves onto the Louisiana shoreline today, pressure is building against President Obama’s plan to expand oil drilling off the shores of America. The drumbeat of political opposition to offshore drilling is getting louder, reports The Atlantic.>

USA Today was blunt in its lead headline: "Should oil spill end Obama’s offshore oil drilling plan?"

Meanwhile, a local citizens action group, Gulf Restoration Network, was on the scene in Louisiana reporting on the sights, smell and damage already occurring along environmentally sensitive shorelines. The group is organizing an outpouring of volunteers offering to help clean up the oil.
 

Terry Winckler

From 2006–2014, Terry was managing editor for Earthjustice's blog, online monthly newsletter and print Earthjustice Quarterly Magazine.