The Hypocrisy of Bobby Jindal

Photo by Chris Graythen

The Associated Press reports the oil spill has reached the mouth of Mississippi River. The shoreline of hit with five foot waves of watery oil. The damage to the ecosystem is unimaginable.

Irony alert: Gov. Bobby Jindal is asking for the federal government to declare a state of emergency for Louisiana. Remember Jindal's hysterical State of the Union response? Jindal used the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to forward the concept that the best way to deal with disasters was not with federal government aid. Private citizens should deal with disasters themselves.

There is a lesson in this experience: The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and the enterprising spirit of our citizens. We are grateful for the support we have received from across the nation for the ongoing recovery efforts. This spirit got Louisiana through the hurricanes and this spirit will get our nation through the storms we face today.

Gov. Jindal, why don't you ask Louisianans to clean up the damage to Louisiana's coast. Who needs pesky big government telling you how to clean the biggest oil spill since the Exxon Valdez? Tell citizens to use their entrepreneur spirit. Governor, it is just a shame you are not in Congress to sponsor another bill for more offshore drilling. I know you were disappointed when Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act didn't pass.

(1) the United States is blessed with abundant energy resources on the outer Continental Shelf and has developed a comprehensive framework of environmental laws and regulations and fostered the development of state-of-the-art technology that allows for the responsible development of these resources for the benefit of its citizenry;

(2) adjacent States are required by the circumstances to commit significant resources in support of exploration, development, and production activities for mineral resources on the outer Continental Shelf, and it is fair and proper for a portion of the receipts from such activities to be shared with Adjacent States and their local coastal governments;

(3) the existing laws governing the leasing and production of the mineral resources of the outer Continental Shelf have reduced the production of mineral resources, have preempted Adjacent States from being sufficiently involved in the decisions regarding the allowance of mineral resource development, and have been harmful to the national interest;

(4) the national interest is served by granting the Adjacent States more options related to whether or not mineral leasing should occur in the outer Continental Shelf within their Adjacent Zones;

(5) it is not reasonably foreseeable that exploration of a leased tract located more than 25 miles seaward of the coastline, development and production of a natural gas discovery located more than 25 miles seaward of the coastline, or development and production of an oil discovery located more than 50 miles seaward of the coastline will adversely affect resources near the coastline;

(6) transportation of oil from a leased tract might reasonably be foreseen, under limited circumstances, to have the potential to adversely affect resources near the coastline if the oil is within 50 miles of the coastline, but such potential to adversely affect such resources is likely no greater, and probably less, than the potential impacts from tanker transportation because tanker spills usually involve large releases of oil over a brief period of time; and

(7) among other bodies of inland waters, the Great Lakes, Long Island Sound, Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Albemarle Sound, San Francisco Bay, and Puget Sound are not part of the outer Continental Shelf, and are not subject to leasing by the Federal Government for the exploration, development, and production of any mineral resources that might lie beneath them.

Keep voting voting Republican Louisiana. See where it gets you.