Maura Donahue, vice president of business development for DonahueFavret Contractors, and former U.S. Chamber Chair, has this op/ed today on the Politico:

Here in the Gulf, where Washington policy decisions have a real impact on the people and businesses most affected by BP’s Deep Horizon spill, we were thrilled by a federal judge’s recent decision to overrule President Barack Obama’s moratorium on deepwater drilling. We hope this gives the Obama administration time to reevaluate its drastic decision to cut off the nation’s access to important sources of oil and natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico. Deepwater drilling supplies roughly 70 percent of the oil and 30 percent of the natural gas produced in the Gulf.

Make no mistake: The BP spill is absolutely appalling. It is the kind of disaster that could have and should have been avoided. Not all the facts are in, but it certainly appears that the recklessness of a few is responsible for the suffering of so many. However, while shutting down the entire deepwater industry with a sweeping moratorium may be good populist politics, the economic ramifications could prove devastating for both the people most affected by the spill and the entire economy. The administration must focus instead on making sure that the offshore industry has tighter regulation and a renewed attention to safety. Spending time and resources appealing the court’s ruling — and simply shutting down deepwater drilling — is not the leadership the country needs now.

A prolonged moratorium would only make an awful situation worse.

Read the entire piece here.