The massive oil spill off the Gulf coast has complicated President Barack Obama's plan to expand offshore oil drilling in areas long out of bounds to energy development, forcing administration officials to promise a more critical look at the potential environmental risks.
As a slick of oil moved closer to the Louisiana coast yesterday, White House officials acknowledged that the explosion and spill at a BP oil rig 40 miles off shore could impact future decision on offshore drilling, depending on what investigators determine caused the accident.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said depending on the cause, the spill could affect what areas would be viewed as acceptable for drilling or even change the president's "viewpoint" on new offshore oil drilling.
"We need to learn from the incident," said White House energy adviser Carol Browner. She said those lessons "will be folded in" as the Interior Department goes through a lengthy process of issuing offshore oil development leases.
But Gibbs and Browner said at least for now Obama remains committed to plans to expand offshore drilling to new areas of the Outer Continental Shelf.
Obama a month ago called for new offshore drilling in the Atlantic Ocean from Delaware to central Florida, plus the northern waters of Alaska. He also wants Congress to lift a drilling ban in the oil-rich eastern Gulf of Mexico, 125 miles from Florida beaches.
