// Update: Reports from the Rally here and here.

Tomorrow in Lafayette, Louisiana’s famed Cajundome, more than 20,000 Gulf Coast residents will gather with a simple message for the Obama administration:  Lift the moratorium on oil and gas exploration, because it is negatively impacting the Gulf economy, thousands of American jobs, and America’s energy future.  Organized through word of mouth and other grassroots activities, the Rally for Economic Survival is the nation’s largest protest against the moratorium.  Expected speakers include Governor Bobby Jindal, country singer Sammy Kershaw, and other government and business leaders.  You can watch live beginning at 9AM central time tomorrow at www.RallyForEconomicSurvival.com.

Shipbuilders and maritime operators, caterers and local restaurant owners, engineers, rig operators, technicians, transportation companies and many other industries will be represented to encourage the Obama administration to reconsider their May 27th decision to place all energy exploration activities in the Gulf at a standstill. 

Rally organizers (including regional chambers of commerce and the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association) are encouraged by comments last week by the Obama administration’s own oil spill commission co-chairs, former Senator Bob Graham and former EPA Administrator William Reilly.  At a hearing in New Orleans, the co-chairs questioned the government’s reasoning for issuing a de facto moratorium on all exploration activities in the Gulf after government regulators had already inspected the affected rigs following the spill and signaled them safe for operations.  Federal Courts have also twice ruled in favor of stopping the moratorium.

The moratorium has significant ramifications for Gulf coast businesses and residents.  If the moratorium continues, more than 20,000 workers could lose their jobs in the next 12-18 months.  In addition, energy producers are beginning to move their rigs overseas due to rising costs of leaving rigs idle for six months or more.  When rigs leave the Gulf, they will not only leave gaping holes where high paying jobs once were, but they’ll leave American resources under lock and key causing our nation to import more oil at potentially higher prices for consumers and at great risk to our energy security.

The Institute for 21 Century Energy is supporting this important event and has championed efforts inside the beltway, including advertising, advocacy, and coalition-building, to urge President Obama to lift the moratorium on jobs and economic growth.  I’ll be on hand at the rally tomorrow and will post comments and insights from Gulf businesses and rally attendees here throughout the day.