Ouachita Police Parish Jury Urges Reduced Drilling Moratorium

In the Ouachita Parish courthouse--- hundreds of miles from the oil spill in the gulf of Mexico....police jurors are throwing their support to fellow police juries in south Louisiana.

They're passing this--- a resolution urging president Obama to stop his moratorium on deep-water drilling.

Shane Smiley said, "It's just tremendous and I think  we should support keeping our people at work or putting them back to work. I think the oil is going to be drilled in 6 months and I think it would be OK to lift it now."

After a drilling accident off the coast of Louisiana  started what would turn into the  worst natural disaster in the history of this country---the president ordered a moratorium to stop drilling for 6 months while investigators figure out what actually caused the explosion and subsequent spill.

But drilling jobs also put food on the table for thousands of families and rake in millions for the region's economy---something state lawmakers refuse to give up without a fight.

Smiley said, "We have people who drive down to Fourchon and different locations and take helicopter out to work on rigs so it could affect not only folks in south Louisiana, but people here."

Before that happens, many people say  they'd rather see the government focus on stopping the spill---and not  crack down too harshly on everyone who drills.
    Especially not when  the livelihoods of so many are hanging by a thread.