NEW ORLEANS -- When word began spreading about Thursday’s explosion aboard an offshore oil and gas production platform, the reaction across Southeast Louisiana was probably similar.
"Well, it was kind of like, are we gonna get a break?" asked Jefferson Parish Councilman Chris Roberts.
Roberts said, in the months since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the scrutiny on offshore production has been intense.
"We had the issue in Barataria Bay, which was after the original incident, and now this,” he said. “I think the biggest concern is, what attention does this put again on the Gulf of Mexico?"
Peter Ricchiuti, assistant dean at Tulane's Freeman School of Business, believes Thursday's accident could become a setback for Louisiana leaders who have fought the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling.
"It's a very inopportune time for this to occur,” Ricchiuti said. “First of all, it would not be a big story, it would not be a national story -- nobody was killed, thank God -- if it weren't coming on the heels of the Deepwater Horizon explosion."
However, while the circumstances are vastly different, from water depth to the type of facilities that suffered explosions, Ricchiuti believes some politicians and environmental groups are ready to pounce.
"They're not gonna focus on the nuances between the different rigs,” he said. “You know, the moratorium is supposed to end November 30th. Already in Washington, you're hearing a lot of voices saying they ought to extend it because of something like this."
Darryl Malek-Wiley with the local chapter of the Sierra Club acknowledges the differences, but said Thursday's incident further exposes the dangers of offshore drilling and production.
"We've always said that the moratorium was needed to give us some time to really rethink safety rules and regulations," he said. "Once again we need to think about moving into a clean energy future, moving away from all the oil and natural gas drilling."
Local and state leaders say that isn't realistic as they reiterate their message to Washington.
"The reality is we have to drill. We have to be able to supply our energy needs, and that's what this state and the Gulf of Mexico have done for years," Roberts said.
Hours after Thursday’s blast, Gov. Bobby Jindal said the answer lies in safety regulations, not in an all-out ban.
"If they need to review every rig -- rig by rig, company by company -- to look at their safety records and their equipment and their training, they should do that,” Jindal said. “What we do not want to see is a one-size-fits-all moratorium that puts our people out of work and does not make drilling any safer in the Gulf."
