LA parish leader: 'We are being used'
Port Fouchon, Louisiana (CNN) - A Louisiana parish leader who was shown around the world last week alongside President Obama as he visited the Gulf coast now tells CNN "we are being used" by the White House to promote its energy agenda.
"I think he has an agenda." LaFource Parish President Charlotte Randolph said in an interview Thursday. "And this is certainly working into his agenda Right now we are the poster children for alternative energy. He can point to us and say this is why we need to move on to alternative energy."
Randolph spoke to CNN after an event at which she joined a host of Louisiana officials to criticize the administration's six month moratorium on deepwater offshore oil drilling.
"The other morning I heard he was looking for some butt to kick. What he doesn't realize is that he is kicking our butts right now," Randolph said. "We can recover from all the storms we have had in the past. We are managing the oil. We can't over come this overriding issue this moratorium now."
Randolph, who was with the president as he toured oil damaged coastal areas of her parish last week, said she shares the president's goal of shifting more and more to alternative energy sources.
"But we need to transition to it and its going to take a long time to get there," she said. "So lets be realistic and continue this process. .. Don't penalize the entire industry. Don't paint it with a broad brush and say everyone is evil out here. These people are my friends. These people are my neighbors. I know that they care about the environment. … Be realistic about this. You're hurting people."
"Yeah, I think we are being used to push their agenda," she said.
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Duh! This spill is one of the many reasons why we need clean energy. They may care about the environment but like all other big business, money overrides that care and all others.
Another note "we are managing the oil." Really, managing it how? It keeps spilling into the Gulf killing wildlife and 40% of the wetlands in the US. Tell that to the people in the states affected! Bimbo!
Randolph, you're very confused. And you're trying to make a campaign opportunity out of this disaster.
Typical stupid Republican.
Are you going to have to wait till you're neck-deep in oil to understand the no drill moritorium?
Incredible. Perhaps she should look at what's happened and consider that is probably the reason for the moratorium. I think Obama is 100% correct on that one – until we know it is safer and have plans out there for how to deal with it when something like this happens, there should be a moratorium. It HAS to be painted with a broad brush.
Sounds like Randolph was low on the distribution list of the memo to from BP to all Louisiana politicians entitled "Thou Shalt Never Speak Ill of Big Oil – Regardless of How Bad they Mess Up The Bayou".
Okay. You've had your 15 minutes worth of criticism. Now can we hear from someone with something constructive to say.
"Their Agenda?" .... it's OUR AGENDA you IDIOT.
It is TIME to push a COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY POLICY that gets us off of oil.
Being on oil kills our soldiers ... Being on oil kills the all of us because it fouls the air. This BP Oil well rupture fouls the food supply.
I hope the Obama Administration DOES use this crisis to drive mileage standards higher and fully price the cost of fossil fuel production, spillage and pollution into the product. I'm tire of the taxpayer subsidizing oil company profits by being the cleaner of last resort.
How can any sane person advocate drilling in the Gulf?
The WH is using this as a tool to pass Cap and Trade.
I feel for Louisiana but to say he feels used is pretty funny. He knows what Obama is about and its not about Louisiana.
I am in the oil business and we drill on land in Louisiana and it is the most corrupt of all the states in the country. They always pull some kind of shenanigans to block your equipment, intimidate workers, etc. Its always to get a payoff.
You knew this was coming. I am just surprised it came so fast.
I have been grumbling every time I see some "Official" from the Gulf Coast whining about that oil spill not be cleaned up in an instant. I keep saying "Did they tax themselves to buy skimmers to clean up the inevitable spills?" "How many of those people who are now losing their life styles voted for w and deregulation?" Really, how many of those people, as damaged as they now are, supported oil exploration to the hilt until just a couple of months ago. How many of them were shouting "Drill Baby, Drill," last October and November? The environmental damage may not be recoverable, but those people got exactly what they asked for. And now some of them are starting to ask for more.
Pres. Obama's agenda is the correct one. Deep water drilling is obviously very dangerous and people shouldn't be allowed to do it until it's proven safe, if that's even possible. In the meantime the country should be doing everything it can to move to alternative energy sources instead of whining about how the government isn't doing enough, or is doing too much, depending on the day's GOP talking point.
Alkita could not do as good of job as Bp at destroing Americans lives
Polution will Get us before we ever can fire a shot for a war.
It's really hard to feel sorry for stupid people like LaFource Parish President Charlotte Randolph.
I think the Parrish President has been influenced by the oil company. On one hand she is furious about the oil disaster and its effect on the people there then on the other hand she is sympathetic to the oil company. You can not blame the President or the country for saying look at what the lack of alternative fuel production is doing to our environment. She is using the media to keep the dollars rolling into the area by the oil company and yet look distressed at the same time. I find it disheartening when so many people want have it both ways. You teach your children everyday that they must chose and understand the sacrifice that goes along with choosing. There is no Burger King in life and everyone must stand for one thing or the other. Lets be realistic it is people who have wanted to take a light stance concerning alternative fuel sources is the reason we are in this situation today.
Of course they are using this to take over oil production. These people simply don't get it – there are no alternatives today and even if there were, who's going to pay for changing over every vehicle in America not to mention all the other uses for oil. The White House figures they can keep destroying the economy, blame it all on Republicans somehow, and then remake it in Dear Leader's image.
I am realy appauled at what these folsk are saying...What a stab the back of the Pres..Talk about being two-faced..The Pres comes there to show concern and support to these communites and this is the thanks he gets..Its almost as if these folks are so intent on supporting BP rather than the lives of their fellow workers..I guess they would probably be singing a diffferent tune if Pres Obama didn't put in place a moritorium, and another exsplosion happenned and more lives are lost..They would then blame him for not having done so..People, you can;t have it both ways, and Pres Obama understands that..He choose to put lives ahead of profit which is I believe is the right decision...You folks better wake up and stop listening to the rantings of the GOP and the likes of J. Carville..We need to figure out what happenned so hopefully we won't have another loss of life to to the big oil companies !!!! The only one using you folks are the Big Oil Companies !!
The 6 month moratorium and the President's push for alternative energy were well known before you appeared on TV with the President. If you truly disagree with his policies you shouldn't have appeared on TV; ‘come on’ you can't be that ignorant.
First they complain get rid of the oil, now they want it. Make up your minds. Oh now the oil company is your friend. If you was campaigning they will be your enemy. GEE
Duh!
All the President had to do was put a temporary hold on the Jones Act, and he could of had plenty of help from EXPERTS
omg, so we destroy the Gulf and people are STILL saying we need to go out and do more? how many disasters does it take for people to wake up? The future of the US is based on us being the first to develop the alternative energy technologies the whole world will use – that will make us a leader and make our economy stronger, but no one is willing to work for it, to struggle for it, to go through tough times for it. you don't get something for nothing – that whole "no pain, no gain" thing applies here, too. time to get off the oil addiction. Of course it will be hard, but it's also worthwhile.
Look, I don't own a car and I use Public Transportation or work. We need to get off this dependence of oil. We need a responsible energy policy that incorporates alternative energy. If this country was not so dependent on oil, than BP and other oil companies would not be drilling off the Gulf coast...and this situation would not have taken place. So, to President Charlotte Randolph of LaFource Parish, stop supporting an industry that has done so much harm to the Gulf. I for one support Pres. Obama's efforts to move this country away from oil to alternative energy.
Duh!
All the President had to do was put a temporary hold on the Jones Act, and he could of had plenty of help from EXPERTS at skimming oil out of the water. Why hasn't he? Because this emergency allow him to push his Cap And Tax agenda at will. And he's doing, and damn the environmental cost.
He can point to us and say this is why we need to move on to alternative energy."
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I hope Obama gets a larger message from this tragedy than oil is bad. We know that. But, the more meaningful message is that what we thought are fail-safe measures against catastrophic disaster need to be revisited and verified with a critical eye. He should take a look outside the petroleum industry because this is just one of many instances where we rely on promises of fail safe operation. This would require being proactive, but that's the bigger message.
And I think she's getting on a soapbox for nothing. Does she realize that she's playing into the hands of those who want to profit off the backs of the workers in the area by drilling more (and without restrictions in place to stop such a mess agian polluting more and ruining the lives and businesses of even more of their friends and neighbors)? "Oh, look, see – even people standing around Obama here are against him! We need to DRILL!!"
And to suggest that when we destroy the livelihood of many of the fishermen, not to mention a chunk of our fragile Earth, that it's the money that important? Sadly, too many think that is what it's all about – forget the lives destroyed by the mess; forget your grandchildren never getting a chance to swim in the ocean; forget the animal life we're killing off – our corporate pockets is what really matters, right Randolph?
She's not going to be the poster child for Obama – he's too busy dealing with the issue and getting things done to worry about so-called agendas (he was ready to even vamp up the process before the spill occurred). However, she has successfully become the poster-child of corporate greed that cries at any regulations and moratorium when crises such as this occurs.
How much effort has been put into transitioning to alternative energy in that region? Stop delaying it! You should be asking for support for alternative energy jobs instead of going back to oil yet again. That's not going to move us forward. No it's not evil to work in the oil industry, but it would be better to create another industry. Stop your bellyaching and work on a new solution.