With time running short, the Senate postponed its consideration of an energy bill this week - a "spill bill," as some called it. Now members of the Senate and various lobbying groups are engaging in finger-pointing and blaming each other for the bill's delay.

H. Sterling Burnett, writing in The Hill, says part of the problem was the sales pitch used to push for passage. "Though the Senate's energy bill had nothing to do with the safety of offshore oil rigs, the green lobby tried to link the two in the public's mind. Fortunately, neither the public nor, ultimately, many senators were buying it," he writes.

In API's view, the bill had several flaws. Areas of concern included provisions that would have:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a billboard covered with thousands of signatures worth?

This billboard, overlooking I-10 in Louisiana, is covered with the signatures of the estimated 11,000 people who attended the Rally for Economic Survival at the Cajundome. Many were energy workers whose jobs are threatened by the drilling moratorium. Others are Gulf Coast residents who support oil patch activities and depend on the energy business for their livelihoods.

At the hearing on drilling safety in New Orleans yesterday, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle delivered an impassioned speech about the moratorium's impact on the Gulf Coast community. "It's about JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!" he said.

"Jobs will be affected not only on the rigs--but also in the service industries--the welders,... more »

Michael Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEM), refused to give a date for ending the offshore drilling moratorium yesterday. In New Orleans at the first of eight public hearings on drilling safety, Bromwich only said "there will be a very serious, sustained effort" to shorten the moratorium. (AP)

API's Holly Hopkins attended the hearing and reported that many speakers supported a swift end to the administration's drilling freeze:

• Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) argued that BOEM is not being efficient in issuing shallow-water drilling permits and isn't adequately addressing the need for the moratorium;

• David Camardelle, the mayor of Grand Isle, recalled that President Obama said he would end the moratorium when the well was capped. No oil... more »

Senate leaders took the right step to shelve a flawed spill bill, and we look forward to working with lawmakers to improve the bill so that American taxpayers, domestic jobs, the economy and our economic security are protected.

The bill proposed by the Democratic leadership is not an effective or reasoned response to the spill. Instead it will cost American jobs, threaten our fragile economic recovery and jeopardize our energy security.

Among the legislation's shortcoming is the elimination of the cap on oil spill liability. Unlimited liability for spill damages would force most oil and natural gas companies out of the Gulf of Mexico because they would be unable to purchase insurance. This would put thousands of American jobs at risk and reduce the energy supplies we get from the Gulf.

A r... more »

We've told you about the moratorium and the toll it's taking on the U.S. economy. When combined with congressional legislation, it could result in the loss of 175,000 jobs per year and a 27 percent decline in U.S. oil production.

But have you seen the faces of the people who are most affected?

Legislation that seeks to punish an entire industry for a horrendous accident is counterproductive. And the administration's de facto moratorium on offshore development won't improve operational safety. Instead, the livelihoods of thousands of Gulf Coast families are being destroyed.

There's nothing to be gained by killing jobs. Lift the moratorium now.