A rally opposing the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was held Wednesday at the Cajundome in Lafayette.

The Rally for Economic Survival drew 11,000 concerned citizens who fear the moratorium will destroy tens of thousands of jobs in Louisiana and devastate the economy in less than a year.

An additional 10,500 people watched the event on the live webcast.

“We want to send a message to the Obama administration to lift the moratorium for Louisiana’s jobs and America’s energy future,” Joey Durel, Lafayette City-Parish president, said.  “Louisiana has been a reliable and constant energy source for the United States, producing 33 percent of the nation’s domestic oil and gas.  The federal moratorium creates a tremendous void in our domestic oil production, leading to a greater reliance on foreign fuel sources and the exodus of the Gulf Coast’s primary economic engine.”

The Rally featured local, state and national speakers, including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Lieutenant Governor Scott Angelle, Lafayette City/Parish President Joey Durel, Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser and John Hofmeister, founder and chief executive of Citizens for Affordable Energy and several other business owners and citizens who share the same concern that the moratorium will create a seismic economic ripple effect that will negatively impact every citizen of the United States.

Rally participants had an opportunity to tape video testimonials about the Moratoriums impact on their lives. A total of 150 testimonials were recorded and will loaded to the Rally’s website.

“The federal moratorium imposed on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico is creating a financial disaster for Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and the nation,” Don Briggs, President of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association (LOGA), said.  “A lack of oil and gas supplies impacts every sector of the United States – manufacturing, agriculture, service, medical and many others.  Consumers will bare the brunt of this moratorium, paying more everywhere from the pump to the grocery store.”

The citizens present at the rally were distressed and frustrated about how the drilling moratorium is impacting their jobs, businesses and livelihoods.  

If the moratorium is not lifted, it is expected that nearly a hundred thousand people in the Gulf Coast will lose their jobs and the economies of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast will lose billions of dollars.   

Quick Facts

The moratorium has done more than stopped drilling. It has brought to a standstill economic recovery in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast.  In one act, the Obama administration has signed the pink slips of tens of thousands of Louisiana citizens.

It is estimated that the moratorium will result in the loss of 17,500 jobs in the first 6 months of the moratorium in Louisiana alone.

Offshore oil and gas production employs more than 200,000 people in Texas Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and contributes $100 billion to Gulf Coast States’ GDP.

Once the deepwater drilling rigs leave the Gulf of Mexico because of the federal moratorium, it is highly unlikely they will return to the region, forever changing the energy in the United States.

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