EDITORIAL: Erase further delays to offshore drilling
Shreveport Times (excerpt)

There's a showdown over energy issues in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, the Republican-dominated House approved the third of three pieces of legislation aimed at increasing the nation's oil and natural gas production. Meantime, the Democrat-led Senate — which grilled executives of big oil companies Thursday — plans to take up a proposal to eliminate the companies' tax breaks.

It seems fair and reasonable for the Senate to raise such questions at a time when we're paying much higher prices at the fuel pump while big oil companies are raking in huge profits. That said, we challenge lawmakers on both sides — Democrats and Republicans alike — to work together to keep this debate from developing into a standoff in which innocent bystanders are harmed.

Lawmakers must keep in mind the overarching need to put Louisiana back to work and decrease this nation's dependence on foreign fuel supplies. At the same time, adequate measures must be in place to ensure there's not another deadly and environmentally tragic oil spill off our shores. It's a tough balancing act but one that should not be taking this long.