Louisiana employers impacted by the British Petroleum oil spill last April are set to be relieved from the costs associated with unemployment benefits. The legislative idea (SB 121) is to alleviate the financial burden for innocent third parties that either lost business or went out of business entirely.

Sen. Neil Riser (R-Columbia) is moving the unemployment compensation bill (SB 121) in the midst of a growing debate at the state and national level over the extension of such benefits.

“Present law provides for three exceptions to the requirement that unemployment benefits
paid are included in the experience rating records of employers,” the bill’s digest says, and it would provide a fourth exception. When the payment of benefits is caused by an act or omission of a third party, such benefits shall not be included in the experience rating of such employer.”

President Obama signed off on an extension of across the board unemployment benefits in 2010 and criticized Republicans for resisting this change.

“After a partisan minority used procedural tactics to block the authorization of this assistance three separate times over the past weeks, Americans who are fighting to find a good job and support their families will finally get the support they need,” President Obama said at the time.

In 2010, unemployment benefits reached a record high of $157 billion. The increase, up from $32 billion in 2007 and $42 billion in 2008, is the result of 99 weeks of benefits, rather than the previous 27 weeks.

Renee Baker, the Louisiana director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), supports Riser’s legislation but is uncertain of its prospects.

“It would be ideal if we could charge BP,” she said. “The concept here is a good one, and I have a fair number of small businesses that were impacted by the spill… You don’t want to go back and charge every employer in the state for what happened with BP. But right now I don’t see the legislation getting a lot of support.”

Kevin Mooney is an investigative reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be reached at kmooney@pelicaninstitute.org and he can be followed on Twitter.

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NEW ORLEANS, La. – In early April of 2010, Cliffe Laborde and his brother Peter were at ease. In three years they’d invested $150 million in crew boat and supply vessels, tailored to American oil drilling, and President Barrack Obama had just announced that new areas of American ocean were set for drilling exploration.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, however, put an abrupt and prolonged end to that optimism, and in such a way that escapes calculation.

On the anniversary of the spill, last week, outlets such as the Wall Street Journal downplayed the economic impact. Apparently, 13 percent more unemployed Louisianians than this time last year, against the national trend, wasn’t enough evidence. So Laborde (pictured left) met with The Pelican Post to share how individuals in his situation remain devastated. (Click here to download and below to listen – 17 minutes.)

“It’s resulted in a lot of sleepless nights,” says Laborde. “We thought we were pretty smart… [Now] it’s hard to pay back the loans associated with those investments if the boats aren’t working.” Less than one third of the Gulf of Mexico deepwater rigs are back running, and given the relative abundance of supply vessels, Laborde Marine’s service rates have fallen to less than half their prior levels.

One of Laborde Marine's supply vessels, constructed to service drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Despite the financial bind, Laborde Marine has retained its approximately 200 employees. These people won’t show up in the already poor unemployment numbers, but that doesn’t mean they have sufficient work to do.

“Our people are well trained; they know this equipment… You just can’t fire your good people on a whim and hope that they’ll be available when you need them again,” Laborde says.

Laborde Marine’s owners also remain uncertain as to whether BP’s Gulf Coast Claims Facility will compensate them for even part of their lost earnings. Currently, the Facility does not recognize the Laborde Marine claim, and they are entering into a legal battle. The widely echoed $20 billion compensation – still less than $4 billion of which has been spent – is yet to help this business.

While the Obama Administration announced an end to the drilling moratorium in October of 2010, the Interior Department has only approved ten deepwater permits since then. That compares to a rate of six per month in the year prior to the spill. To rub salt into the wound, President Obama has made misleading statements and concealed the industry’s bottlenecked inactivity.

Laborde says this unofficial permitorium, without a timeframe, has created an unpredictable process. And the suspension of lease sales until 2012 means the long-run outlook is just as grim.

While Laborde would like to take up international contracts, and he is looking into it, he says that is easier said than done. To move one of the supply vessels to Africa or Brazil, for example, would cost $1 million each way. His company also paid a higher cost to make these vessels in the United States, to comply with all domestic regulations (specifically the Jones Act). They would then be at a competitive disadvantage in offshore markets.

Despite the economic expense, organizations such as Oceana and the Gulf Restoration Network have supported the restrained permitting process. In fact, Oceana would like to see all drilling operations halted. They express sympathy for victims, but their preference is for retraining of and compensation for harmed parties, to coincide with heightened regulatory barriers.

Laborde responds that “this has been an over-reaction to an isolated incident… No one in this industry wants that kind of accident to happen again.” Most importantly, he notes that the BP tragedy demonstrates the immense disincentive energy companies already face against environmental damage – and that is with the existing regulatory scheme.

The Institute for Energy Research and the Heritage Foundation have prepared this video clip, with a similar theme to this article:

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy and editor of The Pelican Post. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday the American Petroleum Institute hosted its “The State of American Energy” speech, given by their president and CEO, Jack Gerard. On the eve of the 112th congress, more than 200 hundred guests heard Gerard’s call for increased access to known reserves and an awareness of the disincentives associated with tax burdens.

API is a national trade association with 400 corporate members from the oil and natural gas industry, and Gerard’s speech coincided with the release of API’s “The State of American Energy” report. Gerard also introduced new research, “Energy Policy at a Crossroads,” from Wood Mackenzie, an international, energy consulting firm.

The findings on offer and API’s prominence drew influential politicians such as Fred Upton (R-Mich.), incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and leaders from other industries such as trucking, construction, and iron and steel. (Click the image above for a four-page summary of “The State of American Energy” report.)

Gerard began by asserting an inextricable link between the energy industry and economic concerns of Americans, particularly for employment and tax revenue. He noted 2.1 million workers directly employed in the oil and natural gas sectors, with salaries in the exploration and production phases at more than double the national average. Each day, according to API calculations, the U.S. Treasury receives $95 million in taxes from oil and gas revenues.

The state of American energy is strong,” he said, “but it will remain strong only if policymakers chart a course of opportunity and certainty.” In addition to predictability and consistency of oversight, he expounded two specific policy themes: greater access and restrained taxation.

“There are vast reserves of domestic resources that are currently off limits to exploration and production.” These resources, he believes, could make us “less reliant on others, generate an additional $1.7 trillion in government revenue over the life of the resources and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.” However, “the political will must be there to make it a reality.”

Jackie Savitz, senior campaign director of Oceana, the world’s largest ocean conservation organization, counters that in the long-term oil and gas will prove counterproductive to America’s interests. She argues that they are “driving climate change and ocean acidification, the costs of which will cut into, if not overshadow the economic returns.”

With regard to taxation, Gerard noted the potential for expanded production to help resolve the federal deficit, to the extent of an annual $150 billion by 2025. However, he cautioned against the temptation to raise taxes on the oil and natural gas sector.

“Our industry already pays an effective tax rate of 48.4 percent of pre-tax, net income – nearly double what other industries pay.” Even higher would be “punitive,” and he cited Wood Mackenzie’s new research to infer that increased tax rates would decrease government revenue. “The negative economic consequences of higher taxes more than offset any short-term tax revenue gains.”

However, Heather Emmert of Environment America, a federation of state-based environmental advocacy organizations, counters that oil and gas firms receive subsidies in the form of targeted tax breaks, and for what she describes as “dangerous, dirty, and finite sources of energy.”

“Now is the time to start making the shift away from these sources of energy by transferring oil and gas subsidies to the clean energy industry… Other countries’ clean energy technology is far more advanced than ours.”

Gerard addressed last year’s tragedy in the Gulf, voicing his pride in the industry’s response to what he described as a rare event in 60 years of commitment to safety. Already, he said, industry created task forces are helping to improve safety, both through regulations and higher voluntary standards.

Emmert, as Gulf States field organizer based in New Orleans, takes particular exception with this assertion. She believes “the disaster was a direct result of cutting corners and ignoring safety measures… Mr. Gerard is certainly glossing over the real situation in an effort to uphold the public image of the industry.”

Click here for a transcript of Jack Gerard’s speech, and click below for the audio (39 minutes).

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.

On August 18th, approximately 500 individuals crowded the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, Louisiana, to hear from Kenneth Feinberg and Mary Landrieu (D-La). The two speakers explained the new Gulf Coast Claims Facility, highlighted its independence, and assured the audience of their concern for victims of the oil spill.

Feinberg, Chief Administrator of the facility, appeared travel weary at his second town hall of the day (the first in Houma) and his seventh visit to Louisiana in the last two months. But he had good news to share: the facility will be ready to commence in less than a week, transitioning away from BP on the morning of August 23rd. He also pledged an outcome to all individual claims within two days of receiving them, and within seven days for business claims.

Kenneth Feinberg, Chief Administrator of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility

Alongside logistical information and responses to questions, Feinberg’s primary message was that people would do well to trust him and his independence. “[The GCCF] is not part of BP. It is not part of the government. It is an independent program, established by the administration and BP… I am beholden to neither of them. I am working for you.”

Landrieu introduced the event and echoed Feinberg’s sentiment that there is nothing sinister about the facility. “I just want you all to know that your delegation, along with your elected officials, are working very hard for you… Today we really want to spend the next 45 minutes talking about this claims process and getting your questions answered.”

She also sought to emphasis the collaborative aspect of the facility, that she and Feinberg are working together and that they hold each other in high regard.

“He is an expert in what we have asked him to do. He has already handled many claims processes, starting with the settlement when soldiers came back from Vietnam and there were arguments about Agent Orange… and he is very well respected. He is being paid by BP – we don’t want the taxpayers to have to pick the expenses associated this – but he is independent in his rule making and judgments on these claims. I think the president and BP have made a good choice here.”

Feinberg later joked back that “there is no senator in Washington that has been more on my back about this program than Senator Landrieu.”

Vietnamese individuals had a notable presence, but from the outset there were technical difficulties with the translation system. To remedy the situation, Landrieu offered an additional meeting at the end, just for the Vietnamese community.

May Ngyen, a representative of the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corporation, said that the language barrier manifested itself in more ways than one might anticipate.

“It’s still a problem. We found out about this meeting very last minute… We did all this organizing in the last 24 hours, and we got 50 people – so you can imagine what our reach would have been if we’d had more days… The entire process is going through mainstream media. We have to go on the Vietnamese radio station and announce about this.” After the meeting, some members of the audience disputed the accuracy of one translator.

Listen to Ngyen’s remarks here (three minutes):

Darlene Kattan, Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana. Listen to her question and Feinberg's response below (three minutes).

Darlene Kattan, Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana, attended and questioned Feinberg on the economic methodology being used, and how this might vary across demographics. While Feinberg did not go into finer details, he assured her and the audience that all individuals and businesses eligible for claims will be subject to the same methodology.

To reinforce Feinberg’s points of the meeting, GCCF representatives handed out copies of a “Claimant Bill of Rights.” The document promoted eight such rights, the first being equal treatment.

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.

In the process of covering the array of protests, town hall meetings, and study announcements surrounding the oil spill, I have had the opportunity to interview a diverse group of individuals. The primary point of concern has been the ongoing moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, and I have sought to clarify why people support or oppose the moratorium and how they respond to the concerns of those with opposing views.

Here is an audio montage of those interviewed, to give you a feel for the personalities and opinions at play. The file includes leaders of industry lobbies, a prominent politician, grassroots activists, and a range of environmental advocacy groups. To avoid preferential treatment, I have alternated the audio clips between moratorium opponents and proponents. (For the most part, these interviews were recorded outside and in public settings, so the audio quality is not perfect.)

Click here to listen to the moratorium montage (approximately 10 minutes)

Those recorded, in the order they appear:

Paul Besse (Volunteer, Louisiana Grassroots Network)

Dan Favre (Campaign organizer, Gulf Restoration Network)

Kindra Arnesen (Fishing company owner and oil spill victim)

Tim Dodt (Member of the Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster)

Billy Nungesser (President of Plaquemines Parish)

Dan Thelen (Member of the Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster)

Don Briggs (President of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association)

Jordan Macha (Associate Field Organizer, Sierra Club)

Jim Funk (President and CEO, Louisiana Restaurant Association)

Rachel Guillory (Gulf States Organizer, Oceana)

For more background on the moratorium, read the related articles below from the Pelican Institute.

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.

Since July 15th, BP has ceased all use of dispersants in the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Although not widely publicized, BP’s decision was made in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard and came after three months use and 1.8 million gallons of the dispersant Corexit.

BP has not ruled out future aerial application of dispersants, depending on the weather and water conditions. However, regarding the move away from dispersants BP spokesman, Steve Rinehart, said “the decision was due to a changed scenario, not fears over toxicity… Dispersants are used to break up surface oil before it can drift onto shore, and they were most suitable when there was a lot of oil on the surface and leaking from the bottom, but they are no longer so necessary.” A representative from the Unified Command’s Joint Information Center concurred that “there’s not so much oil on the surface that would need it.”

Mr. Rinehart also wanted to make clear that the EPA had preapproved the use of Corexit, manufactured by Nalco Company, even though it is illegal in parts of the United Kingdom. On May 19th the EPA did call for a less harmful dispersant, but BP was following relevant regulations. Consequently BP introduced Corexit 9527, rather than 9500, although 9527 only includes one extra ingredient, an additional form of ethanol.

The Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster disputes BP’s claims of Corexit’s relative non-toxicity and alleges use of dispersants close to shore, contrary to statements on BP’s website. On Thursday, July 22nd, outside the Deepwater Horizon Command Center in New Orleans, the group held a protest and press conference to advocate the end of dispersants in the Gulf.

They promoted a consensus statement of leading marine scientists that oppose chemical dispersants in the Gulf and assert “Corexit dispersants, in combination with crude oil, pose grave health risks to marine life and human health, and threaten to deplete critical niches in the Gulf food web that may never recover.”

The group also highlighted illness numbers from Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals. As of Monday, July 27th, the DHH reports that 324 individuals, including 83 from the general public, have exhibited injuries of illnesses attributable to the oil spill.

A BP Deputy Area Commander, Tom Pennington, attended the event and received the written requests of those present. Although he did not accept questions, he told organizers “we’ll take all your demands, and we’ll give them to reading [sic] and take care of them.”

Alternative dispersant manufacturer, Green Earth Technologies, received EPA approval on July 7th for its G-Marine surface washing agent, after four laboratory studies. Their dispersant, made from harmless ingredients such as cactus, potato peelings, orange juice, and palm extracts, is biodegradable in 72 hours and is half the price of Corexit. However, after the more than two-month approval process they were not able to negotiate an agreement with BP in time to have an impact on the offshore clean up. Sales representative, Greg Rendon, says the company is now “focusing on oil that is inland… the beaches, marshes, and waterways.”

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.

LAFAYETTE, La. – On Wednesday 11,000 people gathered in the Lafayette Cajundome to send a resounding message to Washington. The Rally for Economic Survival’s byline was “Lift the moratorium!” and Governor Bobby Jindal summed up the sentiment in the crowd.

“We don’t want more BP compensation checks; we don’t want unemployment checks; we want to get back to work.”

Governor Bobby Jindal lets Washington and his constituents know what he thinks of the drilling moratorium. He repeated the description from Judge Martin Feldman, who struck down the original moratorium: "arbitrary and capricious."

The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, as chief organizer of the event, stated the concern among attendees was that “the moratorium will destroy tens of thousands of jobs in Louisiana and devastate the economy.” LOGA president, Don Briggs wanted to emphasize that the community came together in support of the event and its theme. “Almost all supplies were offered at reduced rates, and everyone pitched in and helped in their own way to fund this event.” The rally’s website lists more than one hundred financial and organizational contributors.

Alongside the governor, a host of heavy hitters in Louisianan politics and business participated in the event. Speakers included the lieutenant governor, three parish presidents, and industry association leaders for oil and gas, restaurants, and seafood. They emphasized the moratorium’s economic impact, but they also touched on a wide array of issues related to the oil spill.

While the moratorium has changed and has uncertain legal standing, Don Briggs asserted that the concerns of the relevant companies go beyond just the moratorium. “The bottom line is that neither you nor anyone else is going to invest where there is political uncertainty hovering over the billions of dollars at stake. Right now, companies are packing their bags and moving to Angola, the Congo, where the political environment is more favorable, which is really hard to understand.”

“What happened out there was wrong and should not have happened, but you can’t judge the entire industry by that. In the Gulf of Mexico we’ve drilled 2500 deepwater wells. We have the technology. We can put new guidelines that give oversight to make sure that any drilling programs will have all the necessary steps to keep this from happening again. This does not have to happen again.”

Governor Jindal wanted attendees and viewers (4,000 individuals watched online via live feed.) to understand that not only is deepwater drilling on hold, the Department of the Interior has used the permitting process to halt shallow drilling operations as well. Since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the rate of approved permits has fallen by more than 90 percent. Only four shallow-water projects have received approval in the last three months, after 19 permits in April and 24 in March.

Billy Nungesser, president of Plaquemines Parish, called upon the leaders in Washington to understand how the moratorium contradicts American values. “Look the word up in the dictionary: embargo, ban, prohibit, postpone, halt, freeze. I say stand still; do nothing. Remember Mr. President, we are at war. You don’t stand still. None of these words correspond with the United States I know, or I thought I knew.” Charlotte Randolph, president of Lafourche Parish, echoed Nungesser’s assertion. “Mr. President, you are out of touch with real America.”

Jim Funk, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, sought to quell public misconceptions about the quality and safety of fish being caught. “In all the tests that are being been, there has not been one thing found that is dangerous to your health. I mean zero – absolutely none. There has been no impact… It’s safer than it’s ever been. It’s being tested more than it has ever been before. The only hang up right now is the [Food and Drug Administration].”

Cherri Foytlin, a citizen activist and journalist explained the problems she encountered with the BP claims process, how BP is falling behind, and the need to move beyond it. “I put a claim in to BP. That was almost eight weeks ago, and I left no less than ten messages. When I did finally get through I was given a list of things that I need to provide for them.” However, that list included items that were unavailable to her and that required her to wait on government agencies. Through all her troubles she is yet to receive compensation, and her family’s finances are in “ruins.”

Alongside the venting of frustrations and choruses of “Lift the ban,” a little humor and entertainment crept in. As Charlotte Randolph declared that no industry could take a break for six months, one hero-of-the-hour yelled “Let’s see Washington go on a six month break!” to cheers and laughter all around. And before and after the rally local country music hero Sammy Kershaw performed for the crowd.

The Sierra Club's protest in New Orleans, joined by a range of supporting advocacy groups, including Oceana and the Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster

Environmental advocacy organizations, including the Sierra Club and the Gulf Restoration Network, held counter-protests outside the event and in New Orleans on the day prior. While creative with the expression of their message, their presence was overshadowed by the show on offer at Lafayette’s Cajundome.

Rachel Guillory, a supporter at the New Orleans protest and a campaign organizer for Oceana, shared her perspective on behalf of an organization specifically devoted to marine conservation and opposed to all new offshore drilling. She is concerned that local politicians accept “too much money from the big oil companies, and it shows… We need BP to establish a separate fund to retrain our workers that are in the oil industry. They’re all out of work right now, and everybody’s really sensitive about the moratorium, but lifting the moratorium is not the long-term solution… We need to retrain our oil workers into clean energy jobs.”

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy and editor of The Pelican Post. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.
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On July 15th, Kenneth Feinberg used three Louisiana town hall gatherings – in Houma, Port Sulphur, and Lafitte – to explain how the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) will work. Animated and lively, with a little Bostonian humor, Feinberg held the attention of each overflowing crowd for approximately 30 minutes, followed by 20 minutes of questions from the audience.

By coming to Louisiana and dealing with victims directly, at the invitation of Governor Jindal, Feinberg hoped to demonstrate his independence and concern for locals as lead administrator. “I’m working for you,” he repeated, and he called for local collaboration. “It’s not going to work from DC. It’s got to be from here, particularly if we are to weed out fraud… which could undermine the entire process.”

As Feinberg explained, the compensation plan includes two components: a no-obligation six month payment and a terminal payment with acceptance of release for BP. All victims can apply for the six month payment, up until three months after BP manages to contain the leak (which may end up being from the day of his town hall gatherings). However, if claimants choose to accept the second and final GCCF offer, they wave any right to bring further court proceedings against BP.

If victims do not consider the offer sufficient, they may turn it down and pursue higher payments through the courts. However, Feinberg views the lack of court proceedings associated with his facility as a win-win for both sides. “Everyone should come in,” and the matter will be over with in a matter of weeks or months, rather than years. To drive home his point, he mentioned other oil spills that still have ongoing litigation regarding compensation, decades after the event.

To further encourage participation, Feinberg assured confidentiality of all claims. While overall statistics of the process will become public, the GCCF will not share any of that information so as to connect it with any one individual or business. He even showed surprising flexibility by encouraging cash-only workers to apply, with whatever form of evidence they could use to verify such an income. Even those who may not be direct victims of the spill, such as manufacturers of oil industry parts and local fishing lodge owners were encouraged to apply for compensation for lost business.

While he defended the work of BP thus far, he was willing to acknowledge that the company had been less reliable at handling business claims. This failure became evident during the question-and-answer period. Two business attendees, including Mitchell Mark, President of SNEE Chemical Company, voiced frustration at not having their claims handled. Mark has 25 workers depending on him, and yet he has been waiting for two months to see any compensation.

Most audience questions revolved around the level of compensation, although one man, overcome with frustration, simply wanted to know whether the process was going to improve. “It’s going to get better,” Feinberg reassured the audience.

Many claimed that this was to be a bumper summer catch. Therefore, averages from the past few years may not be accurate, along with varying prices. “Show me!” Feinberg responded repeatedly. “I’m not going to deal in speculation – we can’t just do this on a handshake – but if you have evidence to justify such a claim, let’s see what you have.”

These questions brought forth many of the challenges associated with handling compensation, including whether the income is taxable and whether alternative employment ought to be deducted from payments. While Feinberg did respond to these questions, some points remained unclear. Still, the facility is being set up, and Feinberg estimates that it will be ready to go in the first or second week of August.

Although no one in the audience addressed Feinberg on the matter of fraudulent claims, he did mention it as a grave concern. When interviewed afterwards, he explained that the Department of Justice’s Criminal Fraud Division would “examine any suspicious claims.” Additionally, “built into the process of the claims procedure, [will be] our own experts and consultants examining these claims for fraud.” However, he is yet to appoint a leader for or arrange such a unit within the GCCF.

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.

Oil Spill Commission hearings attract advocacy groups to New Orleans

As the National Oil Spill Commission began in New Orleans, those not invited took to the streets to voice their concerns. No more than 60 people are to speak at the two-day hearing, and this sparked the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce to host a rally outside the venue (the Hilton Riverside).

Public attendance may have been minimal at 8.30am on a Monday, but that did not discourage a variety of competing advocacy groups. They took the opportunity to interact with the array of media present, including C-SPAN and local television affiliates.

The NORBCC, represented by board member Louis Libers, is “trying to make sure that [the black community] will have an opportunity to participate in the rebuilding efforts and the clean-up efforts in the Gulf.” Rather than commit to a particular policy, the organization and community they represent “just want to be involved in the process,” and so far they do not see that engagement.

Protesters with the Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster

Other attendee organizations, such as the Emergency Committee to Stop the Gulf Oil Disaster, held less subtle views. They advocate a complete cessation of drilling in the Gulf, until safer technology can be established.

One member, Tim Dodt, hopes “this incident will lead people away from fossil fuels… so they get serious about renewable energies.” He had travelled all the way from Michigan to aid in the clean up. However, he “ran into a lot of road blocks,” and he “hasn’t been able to help with anything.” His sign read “No Lies, No Cover-up, No Censorship – Full Transparency,” and now he is primarily concerned with the toxicity of the dispersants being used as part of the clean-up.

Paul Besse (right) with another volunteer from the Louisiana Grassroots Network

Only a few steps away, volunteers for the Louisiana Grass Roots Network disapproved of any moratorium, as both a punishment on innocent parties and a dampener on employment in the area. Volunteer Paul Besse also pointed out how local governments had proposed sand barriers for impeding the oil from entering inland marshes. Yet the Environmental Protection Agency delayed this and then only approved around 10 percent of the project. He is not opposed to federal involvement, but in his view they appear to be hindering rather than helping with the clean up.

Nearby, a dozen taxis and their drivers lay idle – watching and waiting for customers. One driver, Eratua Mwangala, shared that business was down to about half of the normal level for this time of year. Tourists, he thinks, are staying away, perhaps because they suspect the quality of the local seafood. As a driver, he says he will not be eligible for compensation, since his impact is not direct, but that doesn’t change the fact that he can no longer pay his bills.

Although the groups present might have seemed at odds with each other, there was a consensus that more transparency, urgency, and action are desperately needed. Their patience has run down with the ongoing talk, as the effects continue to deepen.

Fergus Hodgson is the capitol bureau reporter with the Pelican Institute for Public Policy. He can be contacted at fhodgson@pelicaninstitute.org, and one can follow him on twitter.