Resolution pertaining to lifting of Drilling Moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico<!--StartFragment-->

WHEREAS, the President of the United States and the US Department of Interior have imposed a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in order to investigate the cause of the accident aboard the Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010; and,

WHEREAS, this moratorium will be devastating to the Gulf Coast region and exasperate the economic suffering caused by the BP oil spill; and,

WHEREAS, the economic impact of this moratorium will reach far beyond the Gulf Coast and  cause massive layoffs in both Union and non Union sectors; and,

WHEREAS, the OPEIU wholeheartedly supports federal safety recommendations for offshore drilling while at the same time recognizing the economic impact of the moratorium and its affect on working families.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that OPEIU encourages the White House and U.S. Department of Interior to shorten the moratorium on offshore drilling by allowing rig inspections by independent safety investigators and technical experts with the authority to permit drilling on a  well-by-well basis.

SUBMITTED BY: Delegate Peter Catalano

OPEIU Local 107

New Iberia, Louisiana